POSITIVE stalemate. That was how one player in the JMC talks on Brexit described the outcome of the clash between the UK Government and the devolved administrations.
Predictably perhaps, Nicola Sturgeon emerged onto the Downing Street tarmac expressing frustration with and ignorance at what precisely Theresa May had in mind for the UK Government’s approach to the negotiations with Brussels.
But Whitehall insiders said the Prime Minister’s opening gambit was simply about making clear she wanted to take on board Scottish concerns and insights before she began in detail to formulate the UK approach.
Indeed, there was a deal of frustration from Downing Street about Ms Sturgeon’s frustration.
One source suggested the First Minister was keen in the two-hour meeting to make sure Mrs May did not make any firm decisions on strategy before the Scottish and other devolved governments had expressed their own concerns.
And, of course, Ms Sturgeon has yet to produce her wish-list of options, most notably how to square the circle on keeping Scotland in the European single market as the rest of the UK waves goodbye to it. This is due by Christmas.
One Nationalist source observed that it was clear David Davis, the Brexit secretary, simply did not comprehend how the new devolution settlement worked. Whitehall insiders had expressed bafflement as to why Ms Sturgeon had turned down a meeting with him when he ventured to Glasgow last week. The fact he gave only 12 hours’ notice might have had something to do with it.
At one point Ms Sturgeon seemed to telegraph a future move in the Brexit chess game when she was asked by reporters if she personally wanted to be part of the PM’s negotiating team. She said it was a “perfectly good question” but for now the focus was on the pre-Article 50 period ie finding out what Mrs May’s strategy was.
The FM used more emotive language about warning the PM not to “slam the door” in Scotland’s face on Brexit and how she wanted to avoid a “hard Brexit cliff edge”. All of which raises the stakes and pushes her towards what some would see as another cliff edge: indyref2.
David Mundell, referring to remarks made earlier by Michael Russell, the Scottish Government’s Brexit minister, suggested that whatever endgame the UK Government came up with, it would not be enough to satisfy Ms Sturgeon.
“We all know how Scottish politics works,” observed the Scottish secretary - with resignation.
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