NATIONALISTS failed to get a powerful Commons Committee to back giving Holyrood a veto on Theresa May’s Brexit strategy and a vote seeking its endorsement on the final deal, a report reveals today.

A series of votes were taken on the 21-strong cross-party Exiting the European Union Committee as to whether or not certain points should be included or omitted from its first report on Brexit.

Labour, which sided with the Conservatives to vote down the devolved parliaments in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast having a vote to endorse the UK Government’s final deal, was accused by Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards of “failing to stand up to the Tories” but Scottish Labour’s Ian Murray hit back, denouncing the Nationalists for “playing political games to score cheap points”.

In its conclusion, the Brexit Committee called on Theresa May to make clear whether or not she aimed to keep Britain in the European single market and customs union when she published her Brexit negotiations plan. The Prime Minister is due to make a keynote speech on her strategy on Tuesday.

The Committee report said:

*Mrs May must commit to giving MPs a vote on the final deal with the remaining 27 EU member states;

*she should publish her Brexit plan in the form of a White Paper by mid-February to give MPs a chance to debate it before the PM kicks off negotiations by tabling Article 50 in March and

*ministers should seek an outline framework of the UK's future trading relationship with the EU as part of the Article 50 negotiations with appropriate transitional arrangements to allow trade to continue normally if a deal is not reached in time for the expected Brexit date of 2019.

Mr Edwards failed to get omitted a reference to how “no part of the UK has a veto over the outcome of the negotiations”. The report also said it was essential all the devolved governments as well as the different regions of England were involved in the process and had their views taken into account.

Mr Edwards further proposed that the report say: “It is clear that the final negotiated settlement will impact directly on the functions of the devolved institutions and therefore the endorsement of the devolved parliaments should be sought for the final deal.”

But while the Liberal Democrats’ Alistair Carmichael also backed this amendment, it was defeated thanks to a combination of Tory, Labour and Democratic Unionist MPs.

Expressing dismay at the vote, Mr Edwards said: “Every single EU member state will have a veto over these negotiations along with a raft of sub-state regions in Europe as well. Meanwhile, it appears that Labour and Tory MPs believe that the future deal should be determined unilaterally by Westminster; the so called partnership of equals only goes so far.”

But Mr Murray, decrying the Nationalists for what he called was cheap political point-scoring, said: “It was Labour that forced the Tory Government to produce a plan for Brexit and we have been clear that we want to see the Scottish Government involved in the negotiations. However, Brexit should not be used as a false mandate from Nationalists for a second independence referendum."

The SNP’s Joanna Cherry, who is also a member of the committee, emphasised how the report had made clear that “Scotland’s voice is now heard in the UK’s negotiations with the EU”.

She went on: “It recognises the different situation in Scotland and the Scottish Government’s plan to protect Scotland’s relationship with Europe, including the potential for a differential Brexit arrangement.”

The Edinburgh MP added: “The report also concludes, given the significance of the repatriation of legislative competences to the UK for the constitutional makeup of the UK, the UK Government’s planned Great Repeal Bill and the procedure with which it is dealt must be consistent with the existing devolution settlement for Scotland.”