Mr Harvie says the Scottish secretary has said at Westminster today that this legislation will be imposed on Scotland, regardless of consent being withheld.

The UK government does not "give a damn" whether it gets consent for the WAB or not, he argues.

The Scottish Green Party co-leader says: "The principle of consent has been turned into a meaningless sham."

"We should oppose the amendment, oppose the bill and support the motion," he concludes.

Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie begins: "There is nothing to like about this process."

There is a clear democratic view from the people of Scotland he says, highlighting they rejected Brexit in 2016 as well as at the recent election.

That alone would be enough to reject the WAB he argues.

Mr Harvie says the changes made to this bill from the previous versions have all been for the worse.

The new bill deletes scrutiny of the future relationship with the EU, he says.

Among other things:

• It sets out exactly how the UK will make "divorce bill" payments to the EU for years to come
• It repeals the European Communities Act, which took the UK into the EU, but then reinstates it immediately until the end of 2020 when the transition period ends
• It contains language on how the new protocol on Ireland - setting up what amounts to a customs and regulatory border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain - will work in practice
• It sets out areas in which the European Court of Justice still plays a role in the UK, and makes the withdrawal agreement in some respects "supreme" over other areas of UK law

Image source, AFP

• One of those areas may be in the arbitration procedure for disputes about the withdrawal agreement. The bill introduces a duty for the government to report on this
• It prohibits any extension to the transition period beyond the end of 2020, even if a free trade deal isn't ready in time
• In the section on citizens' rights it sets up an independent monitoring authority (IMA) with which EU nationals in the UK can lodge any complaints about the way the government treats them
• In several policy areas, particularly in Northern Ireland, the bill gives ministers a lot of power to change the law (through secondary legislation) without MPs getting to vote
• It introduces a duty for the government to report on its use of the arbitration procedure for disputes about the withdrawal agreement

Mr Rowley says UK ministers are content to carry on regardless of the negative impact on the economy.

The Labour MSP warns of the prospect of the NHS being opened up to US markets and substandard food imports flooding the UK, due to a future trade deal with Donald Trump.

"I do not believe this is really the kind of deal people would want to happen."

He calls for Scotland to be equal partners and to have a key role in Brexit negotiations, but as that will not happen Labour will back the government at decision time.

Labour MSP Alex Rowley begins by confirming his party will support the Scottish government's motion.

He says the withdrawal agreement will cause damage to Scotland, particularly given the UK government has removed protections on workers rights and for child refugees in the latest version.

At a minimum we are heading for a "hard and damaging Brexit deal", he states.

"While Brexit will now happen, it will not be over with for a very very long time," Mr Rowley adds.

Image source, Reuters

Armed with its new majority, the government has published a revised version of its Withdrawal Agreement Bill, external (WAB) to ensure that it can take the UK out of the EU on 31 January.

The WAB turns Boris Johnson's withdrawal agreement, which is a draft international treaty, into UK law and gives the government permission to ratify it.

Bills to implement major European treaties usually take several weeks to get through Parliament, and sometimes considerably longer.

But the government is determined to push this bill through pretty quickly, to avoid another Brexit delay. It passed its second reading by 358 to 234 - a majority of 124 - and it is being debated further this week

The opposition would have liked more time to scrutinise the bill in detail. It is, they argue, one of the most important pieces of legislation in decades, and MPs need to be sure they know exactly what it says and does.

But the government insists that sufficient time for scrutiny has been be given.

Read more here.

Image source, bbc

Bruce Crawford says the constitution committee took evidence from Mike Russell this morning.

The committee convener tells the chamber the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) cuts across the devolution settlement.

He warns the impasse of the Scottish and UK government over the Sewel convention needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

"The majority of the committee recommends that the Scottish Parliament does not consent to the European Union Withdrawal Bill."

Mr Tomkins says Westminster should not and does not legislate on devolved matters in Scotland.

But this legislation is not about devolved matters, he argues.

He says: "We've had too much debate on Brexit, not too little."

Mr Tomkins says he has never supported no-deal Brexit, but to really avoid this you have to support a deal - which is what this legislation does, he argues.

Mr Tomkins says Scottish ministers have the audacity to say their opposition to the WAB is due to a democratic mandate.

The Tory MSP says Brexit is happening because the British people decided that we should leave after a lawful referendum in 2016, the biggest single democratic act in the UK's history.

He points out this applied to Scotland because over two million Scots voted against independence in 2014.

Mr Tomkins argues that is a democratic mandate which the SNP has sought to deny and undermine.

Tory MSP Adam Tomkins says the last decade ended in a triumph for the Conservatives.

He says this means the Withdrawal Agreement will pass and Brexit will happen at the end of this month.

Finally Brexit will be sorted he says.

Mr Tomkins says the Scottish government would not support any Brexit bill, regardless of its details.

They don't like it because it will make their already threadbare case for independence all the more unattractive he argues.

The Brexit secretary argues, in terms of Brexit, "this was a bad decision but we did not take it."

This is a bad bill and we will not approve it, he adds.

Mr Russell says the government has no hesitation in recommending the parliament rejects giving consent to the WAB.

Image source, Getty Images

A number of clauses in the previous version of the WAB have been removed. They include:

• A clause on child refugees. The bill removes the requirement, introduced by Lord Dubs,to agree a deal that if an unaccompanied child claims international protection in the EU, they may come to the UK if they have relatives living in the country. The new bill only requires a government minister to make a statement setting out policy on the subject within two months. Between 2016 and 2018, 426 unaccompanied children came to the UK in this way, external.

Unaccompanied children seeking asylum are some of the most vulnerable people in the world, says Mr Russell, adding it is "inexplicable" that the UK government had removed protections for them from the WAB.

He goes on to argue: "Freedom of movement isn't a burden for Scotland, it's a boon."

He urges the UK government to implement in UK law a commitment to protect EU citizens rights without bureaucracy.

But he suggests EU nationals apply for the settled status scheme nonetheless.

Mr Russell says only the narrowest and most superficial trade deal can be negotiated by the end of 2020 and he warns the UK government ruling out an extension vastly increases the chance of no deal.

The Brexit secretary says the Scottish government has no confidence the UK government will maintain any workers protections, let alone improve them.

A number of clauses in the previous version of WAB have been removed. They include:

• The possibility of an extension to the transition period and the procedures around that. The bill now prohibits ministers asking for an extension.
• Workers' rights protections - the government says these will now be part of a separate bill.

This decision by the UK government leaves Scottish workers highly vulnerable going forward, he warns.

Mr Russell says leaving the EU is a "sad moment" in the history of Scotland and the UK.

He also says it is "uniquely offensive" to Scotland because it "alone of the four nations" is being forced to leave with no special arrangements.

The UK government has repeatedly ignored proposals from the Scottish government for Scotland, while putting them in place for Northern Ireland he argues.

A no deal Brexit is also back on the table under the WAB, the cabinet secretary warns.

He highlights comments from the new European Commission president today that it is unlikely that negotiations on the future relationship with the EU will be completed by the end of 2020.

Image source, bbc

Brexit Secretary Mike Russell notes the just published report from the constitution committee which recommends that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill is not given consent.

The Brexit secretary says Boris Johnson's Brexit plans were roundly rejected by the people of Scotland at the general election.

He tells the chamber: "Scotland wants to remain in the European Union.

"We said no to Brexit and we mean it."

I urge all of this parliament to refuse consent to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill and in so doing refuse to back Brexit, he says.

Image source, PA

MSPs are set to reject UK Brexit legislation after this debate at Holyrood.

The Withdrawal Agreement Bill - which will take the UK out of the EU - is currently passing through Westminster, and is also set to be debated by MSPs.

The Scottish government has opposed putting the bill forward for a formal devolved consent vote at Holyrood.

• Read more here
• MPs resume scrutiny of PM's Brexit bill
• Read the full legislative consent memorandum, external