Joint statement from First Ministers of Wales and Scotland in reaction to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill

Background
The United Kingdom Government took the next step in the process of the UK leaving the European Union on the 13 July 2017 by introducing the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill.

The UK Government argued that the Repeal Bill was a mechanism to achieve three aims:

+ Repeal the European Communities Act, remove supremacy of EU law and return control to the UK.
+ Convert EU law into UK law where appropriate, giving businesses continuity to operate in the knowledge that nothing has changed overnight, and providing certainty that rights and obligations will not be subject to sudden change.
+ Create the necessary temporary powers to correct the laws that no longer operate appropriately so that the UK legal system continues to function outside the EU.
Responding to the introduction of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill by the United Kingdom Government on the 13 July 2017, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones issued a joint critical statement.

'The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill does not return powers from the EU to the devolved administrations, as promised. It returns them solely to the UK government and Parliament, and imposes new restrictions on the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales.

On that basis, the Scottish and Welsh Governments cannot recommend that legislative consent is given to the bill as it currently stands'.

• Primary Source

Wales: Government: Press Release, 13.07.17: First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, responds to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill http://gov.wales/newsroom/firstminister/2017/170713-first-minister-responds-to-eu-withdrawal-bill/?lang=en

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Scotland: Government: News, 13.07.17: EU (Withdrawal) Bill https://news.gov.scot/news/eu-withdrawal-bill

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UK: GOV.UK: Office of the Secretary of State for Wales: Press Release, 13.07.17: Alun Cairns: The Repeal Bill will provide certainty and stability across the board https://www.gov.uk/government/news/alun-cairns-the-repeal-bill-will-provide-certainty-and-stability-across-the-board

Wales: National Assembly for Wales: Wales Research Service: Blog: In Brief, 17.07.17: What does the EU (Withdrawal) Bill mean for Wales and devolution? https://assemblyinbrief.wordpress.com/2017/07/17/what-does-the-eu-withdrawal-bill-mean-for-wales-and-devolution/

The Conversation, 19.07.17: Fact Check: can Wales and Scotland block the Brexit repeal bill? https://theconversation.com/fact-check-can-wales-and-scotland-block-the-brexit-repeal-bill-81041

Blog: The UK in a Changing Europe, 19.07.17: To devolve or not to devolve (by Michael Keating) http://ukandeu.ac.uk/to-devolve-or-not-to-devolve/

Wales for Europe, 19.07.17: Senedd rejects EU (Withdrawal) Bill http://walesforeurope.org/19-07-2017/

InFacts: Analysis, 10.08.17: The great Scotland-London wrestling match https://infacts.org/great-scotland-london-wrestling-match/

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Wales: Welsh Government: News, 23.07.17: 'UK Government’s EU Withdrawal Bill could put us back decades' - warns Cabinet Secretary http://gov.wales/newsroom/environmentandcountryside/2017/170724-uk-governments-eu-withdrawal-bill-could-put-us-back-decades-warns-cabinet-secretary/?lang=en

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