Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has told the Sky News broadcaster on Wednesday that the UK government's new Internal Market Bill is an "abomination" that threatens to erode Scotland's devolved powers
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th September, 2020) Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has told the Sky news broadcaster on Wednesday that the UK government's new Internal Market Bill is an "abomination" that threatens to erode Scotland's devolved powers.
Earlier in the day, the UK government published its new Internal Market Bill that looks to establish barrier-free trade between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in the post-Brexit era. The bill has faced criticism after Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said on Tuesday that the bill would "break international law" over potential amendments to the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, which was signed by the UK and the EU in January.
"The bill is an abomination on almost every level. Firstly, it breaks international law, the government has admitted that. It makes the prospect of a hard border in Ireland all the more likely, but it is also a no-holds-barred, full-frontal assault on devolution," Sturgeon said during her appearance on the broadcaster.
The first minister said that the new bill would force Scotland to accept lower food standards, give UK leaders power over how the devolved Scottish government spends money, and could potentially lead to the cancellation of Holyrood's minimal pricing legislation on alcohol, which Sturgeon called a major public health policy.
"The only way now to protect devolution is for Scotland to become independent, because otherwise, we face a future of the Scottish parliament being undermined, eroded, and frankly crippled," Sturgeon added.
During a parliamentary session earlier on Wednesday, the Scottish National Party's leader in the House of Commons, Ian Blackford, slammed Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the proposed Internal Market Bill. Blackford called the prime minister a "liar" and said that the bill was an "attack" on the Scottish parliament.
