Sturgeon’s Nats ‘block Brexit deal in desperate bid for a new vote on independence’
The SNP refused to strike an agreement with Theresa May - even though their allies in Wales agreed to a deal
SCOTTISH Nationalists were today accused of trying to wreck Brexit in a desperate bid to get a second independence referendum.
SNP chiefs snubbed a Tory offer aimed at breaking a long-running Brexit deadlock - despite their Welsh allies giving it the nod.
Holyrood's Brexit Minister Mike Russell said Theresa May’s Government had not satisfied his concerns of a “grab” on EU powers returning from Brussels.
But within the hour, his Welsh counterpart Mark Drakeford hailed the “compromise” and praised “London’s willingness to listen to our concerns”.
The SNP’s hard-line stance sparked claims it was blocking an agreement in order to engineer a second indy referendum.
Scottish Tory constitution spokesman Adam Tomkins suggested Mr Russell had actually done a deal behind the scenes - but was “overruled” by Nicola Sturgeon.
Mr Russell denied this and seethed: “The entire Tory group of MSPs see their primary task as apologists for the Tory Government as it tries to undermine the Scottish Parliament.”
But later, after the Welsh deal was confirmed, Mr Tomkins said Ms Sturgeon “marches on, alone and isolated in her belligerence”
He added: “Once again, Nicola Sturgeon has decided to put her narrow nationalist agenda before the good of the country.
“The Welsh Government has signed up to this deal. Yet Nicola Sturgeon, alone, refuses because she prefers to pick a fight with the rest of the UK in order to keep her obsession with a second independence referendum alive.”
The split between Scots and Welsh ministers comes after they acted in tandem during a year-long battle with UK chiefs over who gets control of more than 100 EU powers linked to devolved policies.
The UK Government still want to hang on to some of them in order to set Britain-wide rules. But the SNP want them all as a matter of “principle”.
Mr Drakeford, part of the Labour government in Wales, said Westminster’s position had now changed from taking control of ALL powers, to them all going to devolved parliaments “unless specified to be temporarily held by the UK Government”.
But the Nats complained the arrangement could last seven years, during which Holyrood would not be able to legislate on the issues.
Mr Russell also suggested Holyrood must be able to veto UK-wide proposals if MSPs didn’t approve.
He insisted SNP chiefs had given the proposal “serious and respectful consideration” but added: “The UK Government’s latest proposals continue to give Westminster the power to prevent the Scottish Parliament from passing laws in certain devolved policy areas.”
Scottish Labour Brexit spokesman Neil Findlay said: “The fact the Government of Wales has reached an agreement but the Scottish Government has not is a real concern.
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“It would be wrong for the SNP government to play politics with devolution in order to further their goal of independence.”
In a letter to Theresa May, Ms Sturgeon said the proposal showed an “imbalance and lack of trust” between the two governments.
Tory Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said: “It is disappointing that the Scottish Government have not yet felt able to add their agreement to the new amendments that ministers and officials on all sides have been working on very hard over recent weeks.”