GLASGOW, Scotland — The first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party promised that members of the Scottish Parliament[1] will have a vote on the process which triggers Britain’s exit from the European Union, although it will not amount to a veto.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she wanted to make it “crystal clear” that the seat of Scottish government would have its say on invoking Article 50 to leave the European Union.
Britain’s Supreme Court is scheduled to rule Tuesday on a legal challenge over whether the prime minister has the authority to formally trigger the negotiation process, or if Parliament needs to vote for it to happen. British Prime Minister Theresa May said she will invoke Article 50 — the legislation that allows the government to start negotiating its withdrawal from the EU — by the end of March.
The British government wants to use executive powers alone to start the process, however the High Court last year ruled that Parliament must decide the matter.
The Supreme Court is widely expected to back the lower court’s view, and May is ready to introduce a short bill swiftly after such a ruling.
In June, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.
The Scottish government’s most senior law officer, Lord Advocate James Wolffe, argued at the Supreme Court that the Scottish government also should have a formal say on the issue, through a legislative consent motion, but accepted this could not be a veto on Brexit.
Writing in the Daily Record, Sturgeon said: “No matter what the court decides, I want to make this crystal clear — I intend to make sure the Scottish Parliament has the chance to vote on the question of triggering Article 50.
“If the UK Government don’t start showing Scotland some respect, I’ll make sure that people across Scotland have the chance to choose our own future before the Tories drag us off an economic cliff-edge.”
May has been leader of the Conservative Party, also known as the Tories, since July.
If the Supreme Court rules that members of Parliament, but not necessarily, members of the Scottish Parliament, should have a vote on Article 50, it would be up to the British government to decide whether to have a legislative consent motion.
Whether members of the Scottish Parliament vote on a legislative consent motion or a government motion — neither of which is binding — Sturgeon is likely to use the rejection of Article 50 to complain about May ignoring Scotland and the democratic deficit in the Union highlighted by Brexit.
Michael Russell, the Scottish National Party’s Brexit minister indicated Sunday that his party’s members of Parliament would vote against the triggering of the article if the matter came before the British government.
Sturgeon has warned of a second independence referendum if the British government rejects her plan to keep Scotland in the European single market after Britain leaves it in 2019.
However, May did not include a Scottish deal in her 12-point plan unveiled for Brexit last week.
Sturgeon also wrote in her newspaper column: “It’s getting hard not to feel like the (prime minister) has her fingers in her ears when it comes to Scotland.
“This isn’t some academic debate — removing us from the largest single market in the world would be devastating for people’s jobs and living standards. But that seems to be of little concern to the Tories.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said his party would vote against the triggering of Article 50 unless a further referendum on the terms of the Brexit deal was guaranteed.
“The first minister believes that the answer to the reckless nationalism of the Tories is the reckless nationalism of independence, which will only compound the chaos of Brexit further,” he said.
“Instead of giving up on the U.K., the (Scottish National Party) should join our efforts of keeping the UK in the EU.”
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard , USA TODAY. Follow Tom Gordon on Twitter: @HTScotPol[2]
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References
- ^ promised that members of the Scottish Parliament (www.heraldscotland.com)
- ^ @HTScotPol (twitter.com)
