Letters to the Devolved Administrations on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill
Letters from the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union to the Scottish and Welsh Governments on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.
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The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, Steve Barclay, has written to the Scottish and Welsh Governments to ask for legislative consent for parts of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. This follows over a year of extensive engagement with the Devolved Administrations.
The UK Government is not seeking consent for the Withdrawal Agreement. The approval of the Withdrawal Agreement is a matter for the UK Parliament which has MPs representing constituencies across the whole of the UK.
Instead, in line with the Sewel convention and associated practices, the UK Government is seeking consent for the relevant provisions of the Bill: i.e. where there are specific provisions which legislate in areas of devolved competence or modify the competence of the devolved institutions. We look forward to the Scottish and Welsh Governments considering the Bill on the basis of these provisions and will continue to engage with the devolved administrations as the Bill continues its passage through the UK Parliament.
Published 19 December 2019
