News / Politics

Scottish lawmakers to vote on rejecting 'catastrophic' Brexit plan

Tuesday, 07 February 2017 1:41 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 07 February 2017 1:44 PM ]

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (L) and Scottish Brexit minister Michael Russell arrive at 10 Downing Street in central London on October 24, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Scotland is underscoring its displeasure with the British government’s march towards Brexit with lawmakers in Edinburgh voting to reject the “catastrophic” mechanism of leaving the European Union.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly demanded that the interests of her country be taken into account during the Brexit negotiations.

The Scottish Parliament will debate a motion on Tuesday that a bill currently making its way through the UK legislature should not proceed without consultation with devolved administrations.

"This is one of the most significant votes in the history of the Scottish parliament since devolution," Sturgeon said in a statement.

“It’s a chance for our national parliament to reaffirm the voice of the people of Scotland and make clear that, as a nation, we oppose the catastrophic hard Brexit now being pursued,’’ the Scottish leader noted.

Scotland has threatened to hold another independence referendum should it be forced out of the EU’s single market against its will.

British judges ruled in January that a convention designed to deter London from imposing laws on Scotland carried no legal force, allowing the UK government to trigger Brexit without consulting Edinburgh.

British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing street after the weekly cabinet meeting in central London on January 31, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

British Prime Minister Theresa May has not set out provisions for reaching a UK-wide approach with devolved administrations as she prepares to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty— starting the formal negotiations on Brexit.

While the vote on Tuesday is non-binding and cannot stop Scotland’s divorce with the EU, it would lend more credence to Sturgeon’s argument that her nation is being sidelined in the talks.

May warned MPs on Monday not to "obstruct" the will of British voters by changing a parliamentary bill aimed at initiating the Brexit talks.

The UK government plans to notify the EU of its intention to leave the bloc and trigger the two-year process by the end of March.

For this to happen, British lawmakers must pass a bill giving their approval.

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