Senior ministers in the Welsh and Scottish governments have furiously criticised “last-minute and cack-handed” plans from the Conservatives to scrap or amend thousands of EU rules.
The move – nicknamed the “Brexit freedoms bill” – has also raised alarm from constitutional experts who said it would make it easier for ministers to bulldoze through important parliamentary scrutiny.
Senior sources in the devolved governments have accused the UK government of failing to properly consult ministers in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Stormont, even though the proposals, released on Monday by No 10, will have a significant impact on hundreds of areas controlled by devolved governments.
One source said the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish parliaments first learned an announcement was imminent when they were invited at 1.51pm last Friday to an unexpected meeting on Saturday with Suella Braverman, the attorney general.
It involved ministers from all three devolved administrations and the cabinet ministers for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. » | Severin Carrell and Jessica Elgot | Monday, January 31, 2022
