STEWART PATERSON

Political Correspondent

Promises that Scotland would be an equal partner in the United Kingdom made after the independence referendum have been shown up as “empty rhetoric” according to the SNP’s Brexit minister.

Michael Russell told Holyrood that the ruling from the Supreme Court that the UK Government doesn’t need the Scottish Parliament’s consent to trigger Article 50 to leave the EU, rendered the promises of the Smith Commission “worthless”.

The minister warned that the ruling which decided the UK Government is “not legally compelled” to consult the three devolved administrations was a defeat to anyone who believed there was a new status for Holyrood with the new Scotland Act.

The Scottish Government, under the Sewel Convention where Holyrood has to consent to UK law that would impact on devolved issues or change the powers of the Scottish Parliament, wanted Scotland to be given a say on the approval of Brexit.

The court however, ruled it was not legally obliged to do so.

Mr Russell said: “We’re obviously disappointed with the Supreme Court’s ruling about the legal enforceability of the Sewel Convention.”

He added: “However it is becoming clearer by the day that Scotland’s voice is simply not being heard or listened to within the UK.

“The claims about Scotland being an equal partner are being exposed as empty, diversionary rhetoric by the actual facts.

“Now the very foundations of the devolution settlement that are supposed to protect our interests, such as the statutory embedding of the Sewel Convention, are being shown to be worthless.”

The Tories said the decision of the court was correct as the EU was a mater reserved to Westminster and the cote to leave was taken by the whole of the UK.

Constitutional Spokesman Adam Tomkins, said: “It is the United Kingdom, not Scotland, that is the member state of the European Union and it is the United Kingdom as a whole, not its nations separately, that has taken the decision by referendum to withdraw from the European Union.

“These matters are not devolved and nothing in ‘the vow’ or in the Smith Commission or in the Scotland Act - any of them - has ever suggested that they should be.”

He said the SNP was now using the court ruling to “stoke up grievance” just as it did with Brexit.

The Glasgow MSP asked: “When will the Scottish Government get on board and help make Brexit a success for all of us?”