Nicola Sturgeon blasted for endless quest for independence
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Angus Robertson, 52, has blasted the British Government after a committee of MSPs in Holyrood found the UK’s post-Brexit internal market has caused tensions within the devolution settlement. Edinburgh’s Constitution Committee concluded the Internal Market Act, which was controversially passed through the Commons by 340 votes to 256, placed greater emphasis on open trade than regulatory autonomy, in comparison to the EU’s single market.
The legislation was introduced in an attempt to help regulate trade between the four nations after Brexit.
Boris Johnson, 57, recently made clear he intends to pursue further victories from Britain’s departure from the European Union under the so-called ‘Brexit Freedom Bill’.
This has reportedly led to Downing Street considering whether it would hand the Prime Minister the ability to remove regulations previously set by Brussels.
SNP MSPs in Holyrood felt snubbed by the UK Government and earlier this month even said the Tories had failed to consult them about the potential move.
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Mr Robertson, who lost his seat in the Commons to the 39-year-old leader of the Scottish Tories Douglas Ross in 2017, said: “The report could not be clearer: the Internal Market Act has the power to automatically disapply Scottish legislation, fundamentally undermining laws passed by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government’s ability to deliver the manifesto commitments on which it was elected.”
The MSP for Edinburgh Central and Scottish Constitution Secretary added: “It confirms the deep concerns the Scottish Government has held about the Act since it was introduced.
“Indeed, it concludes that the weight of the evidence suggests that the Act undermines the devolution settlement, limits the powers of the Parliament to improve standards in policy areas like animal welfare, and acts as a powerful disincentive to policy innovation.”
The committee’s convener, SNP MSP Clare Adamson, 54, also voiced concern about the impact of the Internal Market Act on devolution.
She said: “We believe that policy innovation – being able to pass laws that are tailored to the situation in Scotland – is one of the key successes of devolution.
“As a committee, we believe it is essential that outside the EU, devolution continues to provide at least the same level of flexibility.
“However, we have found that UK IMA places more emphasis on open trade than autonomy for the Scottish Parliament compared to the EU single market.”
Ms Adamson added: “The UK internal market has created tensions.
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“We will seek answers from the UK and Scottish Governments on issues raised in the report, as well as continuing to work with our counterpart committees across the UK.”
A UK Government spokesman said since the UK left the EU a “vast number of powers” have returned from Brussels to Holyrood, Cardiff Bay and Stormont.
He said: “The UK Internal Market Act was introduced in 2020 to preserve the United Kingdom’s internal market as powers previously exercised by the EU return to the UK, allowing people and businesses to continue to work and trade freely across the whole of the UK, and further strengthening our Union.”
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