Scotland demands parliamentary consultation before Brexit talks
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Consultation
London, Nov. 8, 2016 (dpa/NAN) Scotland’s government on Tuesday demanded a debate in the devolved parliament before Britain opens formal talks on leaving the European Union.
It said that Brexit will “directly affect devolved interests and rights in Scotland.”
The demand could complicate the legal battle facing Prime Minister Theresa May, who has rejected High Court ruling that the approval of the British parliament in London is required before Brexit negotiations begin.
“Scotland’s highest legal officer, the Lord Advocate, “will lodge a formal application to intervene” in the appeal once May’s government has formalised its appeal to Britain’s Supreme Court,’’ the Scottish government said.
The Supreme Court said that it will hear the government’s appeal over four days from Dec. 5.
Following the High Court decision, May told European leaders that she still planned to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
The Lisbon Treaty Article 50 sets the rules for a two-year negotiating process for a nation leaving the EU by the end of March.
“The Scottish government is clear that triggering Article 50 will directly affect devolved interests and rights in Scotland.
“And triggering Article 50 will inevitably deprive Scottish people and Scottish businesses of rights and freedoms which they currently enjoy.
“It simply cannot be right that those rights can be removed by the UK government on the say-so of a prime minister without parliamentary debate, scrutiny or consent,” Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.
According to the report, campaigners hailed the High Court decision as “a victory for parliamentary democracy.
However, May insisted that she has a sufficient mandate through a referendum in June, when 52 per cent opted to leave the EU, to proceed with Brexit negotiations without involving lawmakers.(dpa/NAN)
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Edited by Damilola Oyewole and Abdullahi Yusuf