The Scottish Parliament has voted to withhold consent from the UK's flagship Brexit legislation, the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, in an unprecedented move that challenges the constitutional relationship between Holyrood and Westminster.
MSPs voted 93 to 30 against granting consent, with Labour, Green, and Liberal Democrat members joining the SNP in opposition. The Scottish Conservatives voted against the motion, blaming the SNP for the failure to reach an agreement.
Scotland's Brexit Secretary, Mike Russell, urged the UK government to respect the decision, stating: 'The Scottish Parliament has now said overwhelmingly that this attempt to undermine devolution is unacceptable.' He added that Westminster cannot ignore the reality of devolution.
The UK government has the authority to impose the legislation without Holyrood's consent, a step that would break with 20 years of constitutional convention. Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman Adam Tomkins said the UK government had already made 'radical' changes to the bill, which led the Welsh Labour government to drop its opposition, and criticised the Scottish government for not compromising.
The dispute centres on 24 policy areas, including agriculture and fisheries, where the UK government seeks temporary control post-Brexit to ensure a smooth departure from EU law. The Scottish government argues this would restrict Holyrood's powers for up to seven years and has produced its own alternative legislation, currently subject to a legal challenge.
This is the first time Holyrood has refused consent to a Westminster bill likely to be imposed anyway, marking a constitutional first. However, analysts note that similar defiance, such as the Scottish Parliament's vote for a second independence referendum last year, was ignored by the Prime Minister without significant public backlash.
