‘Devolved ministers must be respected’
THE UK government needs to “raise its game” and make talks with the devolved administrations over Brexit more effective, a committee of Lords has said
The Joint Ministerial Committee (European Negotiations) was set up to allow ministers from the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to discuss the process, but a new report said it “is clear that at a basic level its meetings are not being treated with respect or organised efficiently”.
Peers on the House of Lords EU Committee insisted “this needs to change” as they said the committee should be allowed to agree common positions on the Brexit issues of most importance to the governments in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
The call comes after Scottish Brexit Minister Mike Russell demanded that the JMC meetings be urgently reconvened by the UK government. In their report, looking at the impact of exiting the European Union on the devolved administrations, peers said they back “the view of most of our witnesses that the UK government needs to raise its game to make the JMC (EN) effective”.
This should include better preparation, including bilateral discussions ahead of meetings, a structured work programme, greater transparency “and a willingness to accept that the JMC (EN), even if not a formal decision-making body, is more than a talking-shop”, according to the report.
Here the Lords suggested the JMC “should be authorised to agree common positions on key matters affecting devolved competences in time to inform the UK government’s negotiating position”.
The report highlighted concerns over the “apparent deterioration of relations between the UK and Scottish governments” as a result of the UK’s vote to leave the EU.
After almost two-thirds (62%) of Scots voted to remain in the 2016 referendum, the Lords also stressed there is a “strong political and economic case for making differentiated arrangements for Scotland”.
However, they dismissed Scottish Government calls to remain in the European single market after the rest of the UK leaves the trading bloc as being “politically impracticable, legally highly complex and economically potentially disruptive to the functioning of the UK single market”.
The report made clear the “integrity and efficient operation of the UK single market must be an over-arching objective for the whole United Kingdom” during the Brexit process.