WE'LL BLOCK HOLYROOD'S ABILITY TO LEGISLATE WARNS TORIES

The British secretary of state for Scotland has said he may have to intervene on two Bills passed by the country's parliament in recent weeks.

In a letter to the Deputy First Minister, Alister Jack warned that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill, which was backed unanimously by Scotland's parliamentarians, could infringe on the ability of the Westminster government to pass laws in Scotland.

A similar objection was raised about the European Charter of Local Self-Government (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill, put forward by independent MSP Andy Wightman and also passed unanimously this week.

Before the passage of the UNCRC Bill, Alister Jack wrote to the Deputy First Minister, asking for changes to ensure it did not apply to legislation passed by the Westminster government, but no such amendments were tabled.

Jack said he would use the four-week period from the passage of a Bill in Holyrood until it receives royal assent to decide whether it should be blocked or referred to the Supreme Court south of the border.

He wrote: “I am aware that people in Scotland are keen to see that the Bill is given royal assent as soon as possible.

“While the Scottish Government and our own United Kingdom government have different views on the benefits of incorporating conventions into statute, we respect the Scottish Parliament’s ability to legislate on this in devolved areas, but, doubt about the competence of specific provisions in the Bill serves no one.

“It's important that all legislation clearly reflects the competence and roles of Scotland’s two parliaments and governments.

“This need for clarity, not just for us, but for the children and for those who represent them, is why I think it is essential that Scotland's two governments respect the devolution settlement and work collaboratively to resolve issues.”