Brexit: Holyrood '˜will get majority of returning powers'

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said he was confident that the 'majority' of the 111 powers returning from Brussels, which the Scottish Government claims are vulnerable to a 'power grab' at Westminster through the EU Withdrawal Bill, would be devolved to Holyrood.

David Mundell has appealed for the devolved administrations to work with the UK government during Brexit talks. Picture: TSPL

But Mr Mundell said that to outline which powers could be transferred would be “inappropriate”.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: “I think it would be inappropriate ahead of a meeting today where we hope to actually agree that, to quantify.

“I’m confident that a majority of the powers that were on that list of 111 powers, that were on that list, will actually come to Holyrood. I hope that can be agreed today.”

He declined to give detail on how the UK Government planned to amend a clause in the Bill stipulating that powers over devolved areas returning from Brussels would initially be handed to Westminster.

He appealed for the devolved administrations to work with the UK Government in order to get the best future trade deal with the EU and said last week’s agreement that the UK would have “full alignment” with the EU on issues that impact on Northern Ireland was a “backstop” position.

Mr Mundell added: “What the position is in relation to Ireland is that we’ve been very clear from the outset that we don’t want to see any change to the existing arrangements there in relation to the border between the north and the south.

“What is in the agreement is a backstop position if it’s not possible to reach a wider agreement in terms of a new economic partnership.”