THE battle over Britain’s withdrawal from the EU will now be between Theresa May’s “red, white and blue Brexit versus the Tartan Remain,” Pete Wishart, the SNP’s Shadow Commons Leader, has insisted as he branded the Supreme Court case “a circus”.
His remarks came as it was announced that the Prime Minister will face senior MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee for a 90-minute hearing, which will include Brexit. It will take place on December 20, the final day of the Commons session before it rises for the Christmas recess.
Speaking during Business of the House Questions in the Commons, the Perth MP launched an attack on the remarks to the court by Lord Keen, the Advocate General for Scotland, who argued that the UK Parliament was sovereign and the Sewel Convention – which states that Westminster will not normally legislate on devolved matters without the consent of Holyrood – was just that, a “political convention”.
Read more: Bypassing Holyrood on Article 50 would dissolve "glue" that binds UK, Supreme Court hears
Declaring that this week had seen “another instalment of Brexit cluelessness and chaos,” Mr Wishart referred to the Commons vote, which overwhelmingly backed the Prime Minister’s bid to get Article 50 triggered by the end of March, told MPs: “After the caving in of the Labour Party, which followed the Government’s Article 50 agenda, it’s going to be the red, white and blue Brexit versus the Tartan Remain.”
He asked David Lidington, the Commons Speaker: “Why does he not just bring forward a proper vote and end the circus in the Supreme Court. What is stopping him doing that now?”
The SNP MP said there had been “some remarkable things” said in the Supreme Court, most notably by Lord Keen, who is part of the UK Government’s legal team, who, Mr Wishart explained, “told us the Sewel Convention was merely a political act and this House can simply override the views of Scotland”.
Read more: Bypassing Holyrood on Article 50 would dissolve "glue" that binds UK, Supreme Court hears
Stressing how during the debate on the 1998 Scotland Bill MPs were told the Sewel Convention would be in statute, Mr Wishart said Lord Keen’s arguments showed “massive disrespect to the views of Scotland”.
In response, Mr Lidington pointed out that almost 40 per cent of the Scottish electorate had voted to leave the EU.
He told Mr Wishart: “I can assure him that the Government is going to be, yes, looking for a Brexit that is red, white and blue but that pattern includes the flag of St Andrew and the Saltire’s interests will be very much in our minds throughout those negotiations.”
Read more: Bypassing Holyrood on Article 50 would dissolve "glue" that binds UK, Supreme Court hears
As an example of that, he pointed to the Joint Ministerial Committee, which met on Wednesday, and which brings together the UK Government and the devolved administrations to discuss Brexit.
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