THE UK Government is making Scotland less democratic and undermining devolution, Michael Gove has been warned.
Post-Brexit reforms are reducing MSPs' ability to hold the Scottish Government to account and could “constrain Scotland’s ability to make decisions for itself”.
The UK Internal Market Act, passed after the UK left the EU, may also have prevented Scotland from introducing “ground-breaking” public health measures such as minimum unit pricing.
The act also gives the UK Government a “veto over anything the Scottish Parliament does that gets in the way of right-wing Brexit trade deals and lining the pockets of private interests”.
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In a letter to Gove, Clare Adamson (below), the convenor of Holyrood’s Constitution Committee, raised concerns parts of the act could “lead to less transparency and Ministerial accountability” in Scotland because of the law passed in Westminster.
She added it could result in “reduced democratic oversight” of the Scottish Government by MSPs.
Alasdair Allan (below), a member of the committee, said the act “effectively removes the Scottish Parliament’s ability to act in many devolved areas”.
“Health organisations expressed doubts about whether legislation like Scotland’s ground-breaking minimum pricing on alcohol would have been allowed had UK ministers been able to wield the powers in devolved areas which this act now allows them to.
“It's clear that when Boris Johnson and the Tories speak about 'taking back control' they didn't just mean from the EU – they want to rip powers away from Scotland too.”
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He added: “The UK Internal Market Act is just one more example of the UK Government attempts to constrain Scotland’s ability to make decisions for itself. Only independence will reverse that trend.”
Mark Ruskell, the Scottish Greens’ environmental spokesperson, is a member of the committee and warned Boris Johnson’s government is “already making inroads into devolved decisions”.
He pointed to measures taken in Westminster including action on environmental protections, animal welfare standards and public health measures, as well as “promising to undermine” transport decisions in Scotland.
“This is a deeply worrying time,” said Ruskell.
“Not only has Scotland been dragged out of the European Union, we have seen in its place a serious erosion of our parliament’s ability to maintain or improve on EU-wide rights and protections.”
The UK Internal Market Act came into force at the end of the Brexit transition period, with the intention of avoiding differing standards between goods and services between the UK nations.
But opponents have described it as a “power grab” which takes powers away from devolved administrations.
The Department for Levelling Up was approached for comment.
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