Scottish Parliament to be recalled in event of no deal Brexit

The Scottish Parliament will be recalled during recess if the UK looks set to leave the EU without a deal, Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh has announced.

After Theresa May requested an extension to Article 50 from the EU – delaying the UK’s exit from the bloc – the UK currently has until 12 April to either present European leaders with a way forward or leave with no deal.

A majority of MPs then voted to force Theresa May to ask for an extension to Article 50 in an effort to prevent a no deal Brexit, but any delay will still require the EU’s agreement.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for the Scottish Parliament recess – set to run from 6 to 21 April – to be cancelled amid concern that a no deal Brexit could lead to food and medicine shortages.

But in a new statement, the PO announced plans to recall MSPs on 11 April, while warning “this is clearly an ongoing, developing situation and I may therefore not be in a position to confirm a recall to Members until after decisions are taken at the EU summit on Wednesday 10 April”.

He said: “Before we move to members’ business, I wanted to let members know about Parliament’s plans to meet over the recess. The Parliamentary Bureau has been considering this matter in the last few days and considering Parliament’s response in the event of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union on Friday 12 April without a negotiated deal.

“I can confirm that my intention is to recall Parliament next week to meet at 1.00pm on Thursday 11 April in the circumstances that the UK is due to leave the EU without a deal on the following day.

“I indicated last week that I would try and give Members at least two days’ notice of the decision whether or not to recall. This is clearly an ongoing, developing situation and I may therefore not be in a position to confirm a recall to Members until after decisions are taken at the EU summit on Wednesday 10 April.

“The decision to recall or not will be communicated to you through the Parliament’s alert system and of course your business managers will keep you updated. The Parliamentary Business Team is also happy to advise Members throughout the week.”