Boris Johnson’s changes to Brexit bill could result in Nicola Sturgeon taking him to court

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Photograph: Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail. - Credit: PA

Boris Johnson has been warned that the Scottish government is prepared to take ‘all options’ available to stop proposed changes to the Withdrawal Agreement.

Appearing on Channel 4 News, the SNP’s Westminster leader has claimed that Nicola Sturgeon will do anything to stop his latest Brexit proposals, which the party argues is a threat to devolution.

In the interview, Blackford branded the bill a power-grab of Scottish parliament powers, as he explained: ‘People in Scotland voted for a parliament with powers over devolved areas which Westminster is now going to legislate against.

‘My message to the people of Scotland is if you want to stop Boris Johnson and Cummings and Gove – these are the three people behind this – the only way we can do that is to make sure we have the powers of that independent Scotland.’

Blackford did not deny that one of the actions the Scottish government could consider is a court case against the government legislation.

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He told presenter Cathy Newman: ‘The simple fact of the matter is that this is disrespecting devolution, it’s disrespecting Scotland and it’s disrespecting the referendum.

‘So we’ll look at all options.

‘But the message to everybody in Scotland is we face an election next year to the Scottish Parliament.

‘If the SNP win that election well, the mandate for an independence referendum with that bill on the referendum to come in front of the Scottish Parliament, let’s – to use the phrase – take back control ourselves.

‘Let’s stop Boris Johnson taking a wrecking ball to devolution.’

The comments prompted accusations from Brexiteers that the SNP was attempting to stop the UK’s Withdrawal from the EU.

Blackford caused a furore in the House of Commons on Wednesday after calling Johnson a ‘barefaced liar’ after the prime minister issued a defence of his bill.

Johnson explained to MPs: ‘This UK Internal Market Bill is about protecting jobs, protecting growth, ensuring the fluidity and safety of our UK internal market and prosperity throughout the UK and it should be welcomed, I believe, in Scotland, in Northern Ireland, in Wales and throughout the whole country.’