The Conservatives in Westminster are “forfeiting the right to be taken seriously as negotiating partners” with the EU and devolved countries, Mike Russell has said.
The Scottish Brexit Secretary, who was speaking ahead of a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations) (JMC EN), claims the way Scotland and the EU has been treated by the UK Government has had an impact on relations.
Mr Russell, who will chair the committee during its first ever meeting outside London, also claimed the UK Government is “hell bent” on leaving the European Union without a deal.
READ MORE: EU may refuse Brexit extension without general election or second referendum
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove, who is expected to accompany Brexit Minister Lord Callanan to the meeting, said the UK Government wants a deal but requires “movement” from the EU and would be ready for Brexit on October 31 “whatever the circumstances”.
He said: “We are now just three weeks away from the catastrophe of a No-deal Brexit, which would do huge damage to jobs, communities and living standards across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
“In those circumstances, any responsible UK Government should be trying to avert such an outcome at all costs.
“Instead, we have a Prime Minister and an administration who appear hell-bent on driving over the cliff edge of No-deal at all and any cost.”
Mr Russell will chair the meeting in Edinburgh on Thursday (Jane Barlow/PA)
The Brexit Secretary also hit out at the lack of engagement between Westminster and the devolved administrations across the UK.
He said: “This is a Tory government which is openly suggesting it could flout the law and which is reneging on commitments made both to the Scottish Government and EU partners.
“Tory ministers made a firm commitment to seek an agreed approach with the Scottish Government and other devolved administrations to negotiations with the EU. They also said meeting such as today’s should oversee negotiations. These promises have been broken.
READ MORE: UK Brexit plan not shown to SNP Govt
“The reality is that UK ministers have paid lip-service to any respect agenda towards the devolved governments, and gatherings like today’s cannot paper over the cracks – there is a distinction between holding meetings and engaging seriously on the basis of equal partnership.
Mr Gove is responsible for UK Government preparations for a no-deal Brexit (Danny Lawson/PA)
“We should not be having to spend a single penny on Brexit preparations – and we will take no lectures from Tory ministers when it comes to the planning and expense needed to mitigate the disaster they are perpetrating.”
The committee comes after Mr Russell revealed the Scottish Government was not alerted to the publication of new Brexit proposals before they were released last week.
Mr Russell said the Scottish Government “has not been treated as a trusted partner.
He said: “In their behaviour towards EU neighbours, and towards devolved governments within the UK, the Tories are forfeiting the right to be taken seriously as negotiating partners.
“And if No-deal becomes a reality, it will be Boris Johnson and his colleagues who are entirely to blame.”
Mr Gove said: “The UK Government wants a deal with the EU and we want to talk. This Government has made a fair and reasonable offer, and now it’s time for the EU to show a willingness to compromise too.
“Any deal ahead of Brexit on October 31 will require movement from the EU, but we will be ready for Brexit on October 31 whatever the circumstances.
“We are supporting the devolved administrations to get ready for Brexit on October 31 and we have committed almost £140 million to the Scottish Government to fund their preparations.
“We continue to work constructively with all devolved administrations at every level to make the necessary preparations to ensure every part of the UK is ready to leave the EU on October 31.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel