Nicola Sturgeon brands Westminster Brexit bill an 'assault on devolution'

The First Minister tweeted her disapproval of a bill that proposes state aid falls to Westminster control

Nicola Sturgeon has vocalised her anger at a new Westminster bill that proposes full power of state aid fall to the UK Government.

The bill would allow Westminster full power to set new post Brexit standards of the environment, food and animal welfare and enforce them within the devolved nations.

Both Scotland and Wales have said that they want state aid to be devolved, however, Westminster has argued that the power should be in the hands of the UK Government.

On Monday, Ms Sturgeon tweeted: “Make no mistake, this would be a full scale assault on devolution - a blatant move to erode the powers of the Scottish Parliament in key areas.

“If the Tories want to further boost support for independence, this is the way to do it.”

Mr Johnson's Government is expected to bring forward legislation to the House of Commons in the autumn that may entail state aid policies - such as subsidising companies - being reserved to Westminster.

The EU flag flies outside the Scottish Parliament

Scotland's Constitution Secretary Mike Russell has previously said plans to enshrine a UK "internal market" after Brexit would seriously undermine devolution, describing them as a potential "power grab".

In a letter to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, Mr Russell said he is concerned about proposals for an external body that would "test" whether a bill in Holyrood affected the UK's internal market and plans for a "mutual recognition regime", which he said could lower regulatory standards beyond what the Scottish Parliament found

acceptable.

In response, Mr Gove accused him of trying to "confect" a political row.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website