by Martin Docherty-Hughes MP

There were emotional scenes in Holyrood last week as MSPs passed historic legislation aimed at tackling domestic abuse.

The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act will ensure that Scotland is one of the first countries in the world to implement dedicated legislation which criminalises not just physical abuse, but also psychological abuse and controlling behaviour.

As the MP for West Dunbartonshire I work closely with our local women’s aid groups.

It’s a great credit to campaigners and the bravery of victims of domestic abuse that this world-leading Bill has been passed with unanimous support.

It shows the Scottish Parliament at its very best – political parties working together to improve the lives of the people they have been elected to represent.

I believe the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act will come to be held as one of Holyrood’s best achievements, alongside equal marriage, the smoking ban and tuition-free university education.

It’s a reminder of the importance of protecting and enhancing the powers of Scotland’s parliament, so that we can continue striving to make life better for the people who live here. Yet at Westminster the Tories are seeking to undermine the devolution settlement by using Brexit as a way to limit the powers of Holyrood.

The political agenda at the House of Commons continues to be dominated by the EU Withdrawal Bill, and as ever, Scotland’s interests are being ignored by a Tory government that is in turmoil over Brexit.

Last month the Scottish Government published analysis highlighting financial forecasts showing the devastating impact that a Tory ‘hard Brexit’ will have on our economy.

The report was dismissed by opposition politicians as “nonsense scaremongering”, but just a few weeks later a leak to the media revealed that the Tories have been keeping secret their own Brexit analysis which backs up the Scottish Government’s findings.

The UK government’s own Brexit figures show the catastrophic impact that leaving the single market and customs union will have on jobs, incomes and living standards.

In Scotland alone 80,000 jobs are on the line, and the economy is set to lose £12.7 billion per year – the equivalent of £2,000 per person.

The SNP continues to fight a Tory hard Brexit, but Jeremy Corbyn and the UK Labour party staunchly refuses to lift a finger to oppose the UK government’s extreme Brexit plans.

Despite the threat to Scotland’s future, the Labour Party in Scotland continues to toe the party line set by their bosses at Westminster.

It’s not too late to avoid the worst impact of an extreme Brexit, but the Labour Party needs to urgently rethink its position and stop acting as cheerleaders for Tories on exiting the EU.

Last week at Holyrood we saw the benefits of parties working together to create a better Scotland.

It’s time for Labour politicians to back cross-party efforts to keep Scotland and the UK in the single market and ensure our communities are protected from the worst impact of Brexit.