UK’S Withdrawal Bill ‘could hinder SNP’S anti-obesity drive’

MPS will be able to force chlorinated chicken and GM food on Scotland through the UK Government’s “power grab”, the First Minister said.

Nicola Sturgeon also warned that her administration’s anti-obesity drive is at risk from the bid to keep ex-brussels competences in Westminster.

The Scottish Government has refused to sign up to a deal on returning powers from Brexit, which was accepted by the Welsh Government this week.

Ms Sturgeon said the UK Government offer would allow Westminster to impose changes on devolved areas without the consent of the Scottish Parliament for up to seven years.

Spelling out the “real implications” of signing up to the deal, the FM said: “It could restrict our ability during that period to properly tackle obesity and alcohol misuse.

“It could force us to relax food standards regulations and perhaps open the door to US chlorinated chicken and anything else that was demanded in a trade deal.”

The powers at the centre of the dispute include food labelling, which the Scottish Government is looking at using to highlight the dangers of junk food.

SNP ministers say the UK’S Withdrawal Bill, which transfers EU laws into domestic ones, is a “power grab” on competences that are devolved, such as agriculture and fisheries.

The UK Government says a minority of the returning powers need to initially be run from Westminster, while frameworks are drawn up to protect the British single market.

Under the Downing Street offer, 24 out of 111 repatriated powers will be kept in Westminster for the time being.

Only in circumstances that are not “normal” can they be altered by MPS without the consent of MSPS, the proposal says.

Ruth Davidson said the FM is “dancing on the head of a pin” to avoid a deal.

The Scottish Conservative leader said: “There is a deal to be done here, the Welsh back it, other parties in this chamber back it.”