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Brexit deadlock: May to meet Scottish and Welsh first ministers Scottish and Welsh leaders hopeful of deal on post-Brexit powers
(about 9 hours later)
Nicola Sturgeon and Carwyn Jones, the Scottish and Welsh first ministers, will table proposals to end months of deadlock over Brexit when they meet the prime minister on Wednesday. Nicola Sturgeon has expressed hope that she and Theresa May could soon reach an agreement over Brexit power-sharing arrangements spelled out in the EU withdrawal bill, following talks at Downing Street.
Theresa May is hosting a summit at Downing Street with the two devolved governments, also attended by officials from Northern Ireland, to discuss a complex and controversial deal on redistributing powers around the UK after it leaves the EU. The Scottish first minister said that while there had been no immediate breakthrough in Wednesday’s discussions, also involving her Welsh counterpart, Carwyn Jones, progress had been made.
The joint ministerial meeting will also include discussion of the nerve agent attack in Salisbury, Brexit issues such as the Irish border, and wider economic and trade considerations. “We didn’t reach agreement today. There was no expectation going into the meeting that we’d reach agreement today,” Sturgeon told reporters outside No 10 after a bilateral meeting with May.
In a further sign of the pressure to reach agreement, May will also hold separate private bilateral meetings with Sturgeon and Jones. This had followed a joint ministerial council meeting involving Jones, also attended by officials from Northern Ireland. Jones was also due to meet May one-to-one.
They are at odds over power-sharing in at least 24 areas including GM crops, organic farming, fishing quotas, food labelling and food safety, and pesticides, which will be needed in the UK. “We all aired our views and I think there is an understanding of the issues that require being resolved, and an indication on all sides that we want to reach agreement,” Sturgeon said.
Neither side is expecting a breakthrough, but Sturgeon said: “We and our Welsh colleagues will take the opportunity to set out what changes are required to secure our consent. “From the Scottish government’s perspective there is a very important issue principle at stake – we can’t have our powers restricted or reduced without the consent of the Scottish parliament.” The hope was to reach agreement in the next couple of weeks, Sturgeon said, “because there now is real urgency”.
“While we remain determined to continue discussions on this issue, it is time for the UK government to show respect for devolution and accept that no changes can be made to Scotland’s devolved powers without the consent of the Scottish parliament.” After the meeting, a Downing Street spokeswoman said that on the withdrawal bill, which seeks to transpose EU regulations and laws into UK statute, the parties were “committed to continuing to work together to find an agreement”.
In an advance statement, May said: “I will be making clear my commitment to a deal that brings our country together, protects the security and prosperity of all our communities and business sectors, and reinforces our union of nations.” The meetings with May also involved discussion of a planned post-Brexit transition deal, Sturgeon said. “I made clear the importance and the urgency on that.”
May also briefed the leaders on the response to the Salisbury nerve agent attack. Sturgeon said: “We were united in our condemnation of Russia’s actions, and I expressed my support for the steps the prime minister has announced in the Commons this afternoon.”
On the withdrawal bill, the sides are at odds over power sharing in at least 24 areas including GM crops, organic farming, fishing quotas, food labelling and food safety, and pesticides.
While the Scottish and Welsh governments are presenting a united front, it is widely thought that Jones is closer to a deal than Sturgeon. Both devolved governments have introduced rival legislation on Brexit in case they fail to reach a deal on the UK government’s EU withdrawal bill.While the Scottish and Welsh governments are presenting a united front, it is widely thought that Jones is closer to a deal than Sturgeon. Both devolved governments have introduced rival legislation on Brexit in case they fail to reach a deal on the UK government’s EU withdrawal bill.
Jones said: “We want to resolve this and are committed to continuing to try to seek agreement before the [EU withdrawal] bill finishes its passage through parliament, but time is against us.” Jones said: “Progress has been made, but I am not yet in a position to recommend to the national assembly that we should give our consent to the withdrawal bill.” But he added: “I’m hopeful we will be in a position where that will be possible in the next few days – no more than a week or two, I would say, time is running out – but we are not there yet.”
BrexitBrexit
ScotlandScotland
WalesWales
Theresa MayTheresa May
Nicola SturgeonNicola Sturgeon
Carwyn JonesCarwyn Jones
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