Nicola Sturgeon: SNP Leader SLAMMED for rejecting Brexit devolution deal
GETTY / PA Nicola Sturgeon's Brexit stance came under fire today
Nicola Sturgeon was also accused of overruling her own Brexit Minister amid claims he was ready to back an agreement last week. Welsh Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said significant concessions from the UK Government would "protect devolution". Scottish Tories said his comments were "devastating for the truculent SNP" and exposed Ms Sturgeon's desire for another referendum on breaking up Britain. The party's constitution spokesman Adam Tomkins branded the First Minister "alone and isolated in her belligerence".
GETTY There were accusations Sturgeon overruled her own Brexit spokesman Mike Russell
Once again, Nicola Sturgeon has decided to put her narrow nationalist agenda before the good of the country. Adam Tomkins
He said: "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." Despite her allies in Cardiff endorsing the pact on sharing repatriated powers, Ms Sturgeon insisted the Prime Minister must make further concessions before the Scottish Government could sign up to it. The Welsh agreement means the Cabinet Office can now table its detailed amendment to the EU Withdrawal bill on devolution powers in Lords before Wednesday's deadline.
GETTY Nicola Sturgeon has been combative over Brexit with Theresa May's UK administration
It is understood ministers in London were left exasperated after believing they had an agreement over the "power grab" dispute. A meeting of UK, Welsh and Scottish ministers had been planned between for yesterday [TUES] amid hopes of rubber-stamping the deal. Sources said SNP Brexit minister Mike Russell appeared to endorse the agreement last Friday - subject to the First Minister's approval. By Monday. however, he was said to have developed "diary issues" and made it clear the Scottish Government had backed away over the weekend. But a spokesman a spokesman for the First Minister denied the claims saying he "did not recognise" that version of events. Whitehall has been at loggerheads with the devolved administrations for more than a year on how powers are transferred when Britain quits the EU.
PA Nicola Sturgeon's ally in Wales Carwyn Jones has signed up to the devolution deal
Ms Sturgeon wants all the powers over devolved areas to be transferred straight to Edinburgh and Cardiff and while she agrees there is a need for "common UK frameworks" over some of these powers after Brexit, she does not want these imposed on Holyrood by Westminster. Instead, she has argued that the consent of the Scottish parliament must be granted before any common frameworks are established. The UK government believes those common frameworks must be drawn up by London for the whole of the country and offered to seek consent of the Scottish Parliament before creating the frameworks. UK ministers also offered a "sunset clause" so that their control over any devolved powers would cease after a set period of time.
In a letter to the Prime Minister today Ms Sturgeon said this would mean Holyrood unable to pass laws in some areas for up seven years. Demanding further concessions she wrote: "This is not something I can recommend to the Scottish Parliament for approval." Mr Russell told MSPs his administration had put forward two suggestions to resovle the crisis – either withdraw the contentious clause entirely and allow the deal to be reached by mutual consent, or agree that any changes to pan-UK policies could only happen with the explicit consent of Holyrood. He insisted that the Scottish and Welsh governments would continue to work together and dismissed accusation he had been overruled by Ms Sturgeon.
PM and Sturgeon feign smiles as they go to battle over referendum Wed, April 5, 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May met Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Glasgow, following the announcement that Scotland is to hold a second Independence Referendum Play slideshow SWNS.com 1 of 10 British Prime Minister Theresa May meets Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Glasgow, following the announcement that Scotland is to hold a second Independence Referendum