UK to table new offer on post-Brexit powers for Scotland and Wales

The UK government is to table its new offer on post-Brexit powers for Scotland and Wales in the Lords within days after the three governments failed to reach a deal.

The long-running dispute between the three sides is threatening to come to a head just as Theresa May meets Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, and Carwyn Jones, her Welsh counterpart, for talks on Brexit at Downing Street next week.

David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister, said it was imperative that the Lords had a chance to debate his amendments to the EU withdrawal bill, even though the Scottish and Welsh governments had not yet agreed to it. The government was running out of parliamentary time, he said.

Mike Russell, the Scottish Brexit minister, said it was deeply disappointing that Lidington had failed to offer further compromises when the governments met in London on Thursday.

They remain deadlocked over the UK government’s insistence that up to 25 policy areas, including farming, fishing and food labelling, needed to be controlled at UK level until common frameworks can be agreed between them.


Source: theguardian