Brexit, Powers and the Scottish Parliament: The Case of Agriculture and Fisheries

The announcement on 13 March 2017 by Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, that she plans to seek approval from Westminster to hold an independence referendum before the UK leaves the EU has placed the issue of Scottish independence and potential EU membership at the centre of public debate. That said, a key issue in the Brexit debate, and a key determinant of the case for remaining in the United Kingdom, will be the extent to which powers returning from Brussels are devolved to the Scottish Parliament, as many Brexit proponents promised before the referendum vote. This policy brief looks at the positions of the different parties and discusses some of the key factors which will determine the way such powers might operate. It focuses on the key policies of agriculture and fisheries, which have been the responsibility of Scottish based Government departments since the establishment of the Scottish Office in the early 20th century.