Scottish Affairs Select Committee launches investigation into relations between UK and Scottish governments

The Scottish Affairs Select Committee has launched an investigation into the relationship between the UK and Scottish governments, following the breakdown of relations over the effect of Brexit on devolution.

The Scottish Parliament refused consent to the UK Government’s Brexit legislation in May, after MSPs from Scottish Labour, the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Greens backed the Scottish Government in its opposition to a so-called “power grab” on devolution.

The UK Government then challenged the Scottish Government’s EU continuity bill, aimed at replacing EU legislation in Scotland after Brexit, with Scottish Secretary David Mundell warning it was “not within the legal scope of the parliament”.

Presiding officer Ken Macintosh also raised questions over whether the legislation was within the parliament’s competence, though Lord Advocate James Wolffe argued it was "carefully framed" so that "nothing will be done that is incompatible with EU law, before withdrawal from the EU".

But with relations between the two administrations increasingly strained, MPs will examine how effective the UK’s intergovernmental machinery has been in managing and mitigating disputes, as well as whether there is a need for greater transparency in the process.

The inquiry will also take evidence on whether the UK’s intergovernmental relations systems have adapted to respond to different administrations, and how UK structures could learn from how other nations manage relations.

Scottish Labour MP Ged Killen said: “The recent relationship between the Scottish Government and UK Government has been characterised by repeated staged spats designed to leverage political advantage rather than to serve the true interests of the people of Scotland.”

He added: “As a committee member I want to use this inquiry to look deeply how the relationship between the UK and Scottish Government has changed over the years, learn from best practice at home and around the world and take a step towards a new relationship geared towards co-operation rather than allowing easy opportunities for playing politics”.