Meeting of the Parliament 28 June 2023
I agree whole-heartedly with Paul O’Kane that, although the substance of the debate is about whether we give legislative consent to the bill because it cuts across devolved powers, it is also important to acknowledge that it does not have the political support of organisations and parties in Northern Ireland.
Britain’s exit from the European Union has further complicated the peace process, creating political tensions that have rattled the foundations of the Good Friday agreement. As of today, Northern Ireland has been without a sitting Assembly for nearly a year and a half. If the bill is passed, it threatens to further drive a wedge between all political parties in Northern Ireland. I, for one, think that we have a duty, as MSPs of a devolved Parliament, to collectively oppose anything that threatens the Northern Ireland peace process.
As I said earlier, I welcome the late change to the bill in relation to the Lord Advocate’s powers. However, the proposals do not, in principle, have the consent of the community. For those reasons, we will absolutely support the Government on the legislative consent motion and ask the Parliament not to recommend support for it this evening.