AN SNP MP has welcomed the suggestion from a Tory minister that the Scottish Government could potentially negotiate its own international trade agreements.
After UK trade minister Penny Mordaunt revealed the UK Government is in talks with 25 individual US states about post-Brexit deals, SNP MP Deidre Brock asked why Downing Street would oppose the Holyrood from entering into its own free trade negotiations.
The MP for Edinburgh North and Leith told the Commons: “The UK Government as we have heard is in talks with 25 individual US states in the hope of establishing tailored free trade agreements, and I believe the Cabinet has set California and Texas in its immediate sights.
“But if the UK Government has no qualms in entering into these trade agreements with substate actors, such as these states and doesn’t think that violates the US sovereignty, why would the Government oppose the Scottish Government entering into its own free trade negotiations?”
Mordaunt replied: “This argument, I’m afraid, is a false one and has also been perpetrated with regard to the Australia deal. The structures and the kinds of regulations and laws we are talking about are not equivalent.
“In Australia’s case, we are not talking about law or EU retained law. We’re talking about guidelines that sit at state level and the MoUs (Memorandums of Understanding) that we are doing with US states, obviously, are not free trade agreements in terms of tariffs.
"What they are is talking about our regulation, neutral recognition of qualifications, and all of those things. And we are actually doing partnerships within those MoUs between parts of the UK, particularly locations which could include the devolved nations.
“Northern Ireland has such an MoU with other parts of the US. And I’d encouraged the Scottish Government to get on board because there are massive advantages to people in Scotland if they do.”
The Scottish Government has previously complained about being sidelined during trade deal discussions following Brexit.
Responding later to Mordaunt's answer in Parliament, Brock interpreted the comments as a change in stance from Tory ministers.
She told The National: "UK Government ministers have trumpeted the importance of these deals with US states as they try to cover up the effects of their disastrous Brexit. What's more, the UK Government continues to threaten a wholly unnecessary trade war with the EU.
“The Prime Minister and his Cabinet are making the UK an international pariah in our European neighbourhood – a great example of what Scotland does not want to be on the world stage.
“It's good to hear the minister has no objection to Scotland striking out on its own and forging its own agreements on trade throughout the world, a welcome climb down from this centralising UK Government. Of course, the only route for Scotland to really fulfil our own economic and trade interests is through independence."
During the Commons session, Conservative former minister Sir Christopher Chope urged the Government to “redouble our efforts” in the talks with California and asked for a “timescale” for securing a deal with the “fifth largest economy in the world”.
Mordaunt said: “We are currently talking to about 25 states with regard to memorandums of understanding, including California, larger economies states will take longer than smaller economies in order to arrive at the final MoU.
“We think within the first eight we will have some super economy states, including Texas.
“California will be a little way off. But I’m hoping to conclude a large number of these by the end of this year. And we expect to sign further MoUs in the coming weeks.”
