Scottish Parliament (Powers)

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 26 June 2018.

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Photo of Pauline McNeill Pauline McNeill Labour

I agree with Maurice Golden’s call for respect in the debate, but we cannot be selective about what aspects of the debate we are prepared to respect. Lest we forget, the Brexit two-year anniversary has come around. It has been the biggest single decision affecting our domestic interests in most people’s lives, and we still do not really know what it holds in store. The men and women leading us out of Europe and its agreements and treaties spend their days falling out over whether a hardline Brexit is enough, or micromanaging the negotiations that Theresa May is meant to be leading.

Only this week, Jeremy Hunt criticised Airbus for saying that it might leave Britain, and Greg Clark, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, has criticised him for commenting at all, and the Prime Minister has had to intervene between feuding ministers.

We have had the starkest warnings yet from major manufacturers. BMW made a U-turn today, but others have said that they might leave Britain if no agreement is in place for their industries.

Despite all that, as a remainer I have agreed to honour the referendum’s outcome, which I respect. However, like most people, I disagree with the Tory party’s antics in leading us out of Europe, and I do not agree to the devolution settlement being undermined in that process.

The Scottish Tories played a constructive role earlier in the process, and I do not believe that they are comfortable with where we have ended up. Neil Findlay referred to Stephen Kerr’s comment that

“I hang my head to think that we have somehow dropped the ball.”—[

Official Report

,

House of Commons

, 16 January 2018; Vol 634, c 821.]

We have also heard that Paul Masterton said strongly that he

“would not allow legislation to pass that undermined ... the devolution settlement”.—[

Official Report

,

House of Commons

, 4 December 2017; Vol 632, c 729.]

The clever words of Murdo Fraser, who asked Mike Russell to name a single power that is currently exercised that will be removed, ignore the fact that the principal model of the devolution agreement is that such powers are not reserved. All the powers that are vested in the European Union by dint of our membership of the EU are not reserved to Westminster, so they should come back to Scotland in the first instance. As Patrick Harvie said, if the UK Government wanted to control all the powers that are vested in the EU, that should have been discussed during the passage of a previous Scotland Bill.

The people of Scotland also voted in a Scottish referendum, which must be respected. I agree that the UK interest in the internal market should be respected, but that should involve Scotland being an equal partner and not being dictated to by the UK Government.

How serious is the power grab? As someone who supported the devolution settlement and worked in its early days, I believe that the power grab is pretty serious. It will undermine the Scotland Act 1998 and the devolution arrangements, which are nearly 20 years old, by preventing the Parliament from legislating in areas that it was agreed that the Parliament would absolutely control.

What Wales does in reaching an agreement is a matter for the Welsh; that is what devolution is about. However, judging whether the devolution settlement has been adhered to is a matter for the Scottish Parliament.

The way in which Brexit has been handled between Governments has created unnecessary internal battles. Dragging Lord Sewel into a discussion about what he really meant by the Sewel convention does not take us anywhere, and meddling with the principles of the Scotland Act 1998 does the Tory party no service. Is that the level of debate that anyone on any side hopes for as we try to manage the Brexit situation?

We have had all that, and we do not even know what our future trade arrangements will consist of. We do not know what the consequences of Brexit will be for ordinary people. We do not know what the immigration model will look like or how it will serve Scotland’s interests. I worry about the impact of Brexit on ordinary people’s lives.

How seriously we take the power grab is fundamental. The Labour Party brought devolution, which was endorsed by the Scottish people. The principle is important, and every member of the Parliament should be prepared to stand up for it. I will not stand by and see the devolution settlement undermined in any way. I am no nationalist and I am unlikely ever to vote yes in an independence referendum, but if Tory members want to serve the interests of those who believe in the union, they must protect the devolution settlement.