Scottish Leader Lambastes UK Supreme Court Decision Gov'ts Brexit Veto

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Tuesday that the UK Supreme Court's ruling decision can not be related to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The UK Supreme Court's ruling not giving veto power to the United Kingdom's devolved legislatures of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in Brexit decisions proves that London's devolution pledges are meaningless, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Tuesday.

"We are obviously disappointed with the Supreme Court's ruling in respect of the devolved administrations and the legal enforceability of the Sewel Convention," Sturgeon said in a statement.

She derided London over its pledges to Edinburgh under the Sewel Convention, which awards Scotland and other devolved administrations legislative authority, saying the convention is "not worth the paper they were written on."

"Although the court has concluded that the UK Government is not legally obliged to consult the devolved administrations, there remains a clear political obligation to do so," the Scottish leader stressed.

Sturgeon nonetheless welcomed the court's judgment earlier in the day asserting the UK Parliament's need to pass an act before London can invoke Article 50 of the EU treaty to launch exit talks.

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