THE LABOUR Government have been condemned for not responding to the SNP’s calls to scrap the Internal Market Act (IMA).
On Monday, The National exclusively reported on calls from the SNP to scrap the IMA – going to the UK Government for comment.
But no response was received in return, with SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson now hitting out at the silence as a result.
“The UK Labour Government cannot continue to bury their heads in the sand over the Internal Market Act,” he told The National.
“This issue is not going away.”
Gibson added: “This Act must be reversed because, using Brexit as a shoddy excuse, it directly eroded the powers of Scotland's Parliament and breached the Sewel convention.
“There is now an opportunity for the current UK government to address the damage inflicted by the Tories - they must not copy more of their mistakes.
“Labour followed the SNP in opposition to this Bill, they are fully aware of the issue. What are they waiting for? The time to act is now.”
The IMA was created in theory to ensure smooth trade within the UK post-Brexit.
But it has been widely criticised by pro-independence parties since its implementation in 2020, with the SNP often hitting out at how it has been used in the “repeated and systematic” undermining of devolution over the last few years.
Earlier this year, the UK Government did not grant the Scottish Government an exemption to the act for a ban on the sale of glue traps, for example.
Meanwhile, Westminster leaders also refused to grant an exemption for the Scottish Government's Deposit Return Scheme – which covered glass containers – saying that the scheme would put Scottish consumers at a disadvantage compared to others in the UK.
Labour previously opposed the act when in opposition and, now in government, have pledged to reset the relationship between Westminster, Holyrood, the Senedd and Stormont.
“Under the leadership of Theresa May we had decided, slightly bonelessly, that a lot of EU powers and responsibilities would be handed straight down to the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – without seeing that this would risk the break-up of the UK’s own internal market,” Johnson said.
He added that due to this, there was a “risk” that the devolved administrations could suddenly “do their own thing” on the likes of food safety.
The IMA corrected this, said Johnson (below).
“It asserted the logic … that the UK is one indivisible economic unit.”
Gibson said Johnson confirmed what “the SNP said all along”. He added: “[That] this act was deliberately introduced to undermine devolution.”
A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: “This government’s mission is to drive economic growth and resetting and strengthening relations with the Devolved Governments is key to that. We are committed to engaging with the Devolved Governments as we take this work forward.”
