UK Attorney General says no Scottish veto over Brexit

THE UK Government’s top legal adviser has said that Scotland does not have a "veto" over Brexit and that the whole of the UK will leave the European Union.

Attorney General Jeremy Wright appeared to rule out the prospect of Scotland remaining in the EU, when the rest of the UK leaves the bloc.  

Nicola Sturgeon has suggested Scotland could stay in the EU and the UK, with SNP MPs arguing "remain means remain" for Scotland.

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Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "willing to listen to options".

However, her Attorney General underlined that Holyrood has no "veto" and said "all of the UK" would leave.

Scottish voters backed remaining in the EU by a margin of 62 per cent to 38 per cent in June's referendum, while the UK as a whole voted by 52 per cent to 48 per cent to leave.

The Scottish Government has set up an expert group to study Scotland's options for retaining links with the EU, with all options including a second independence referendum "on the table".

During a question session at Westminster, Wright, the chief legal adviser to the UK Government, was questioned by SNP MPs on whether Scotland should be allowed to remain in the EU while the UK leaves, and on whether Holyrood could wield a veto.

SNP Glasgow Central MP Alison Thewliss asked whether the UK Government had the legal authority to trigger Article 50, the formal process of leaving the EU, without the legislative consent of devolved administrations like Holyrood.

However, Wright said: "I think it is perfectly right that all parts of the UK including the governments of the devolved administrations should be able to participate in the process of developing the UK's approach to these negotiations.

"But this does not mean that any of the parts of the UK have a veto over this process - so consultation most certainly, but veto I'm afraid not."

The Attorney General also insisted that "all of the UK" will be leaving the EU.

At her first session of Prime Minister’s Questions this week, May told the leader of the SNP group at Westminster, Angus Robertson, that "some of the ideas being put forward are impracticable, but I am willing to listen to options".