Will London take on Brussels’ role?
THE row between the UK and devolved governments over the future of powers currently held by Brussels is entering a new chapter.
The Welsh and Scottish governments are adamant that if a power is in a devolved area such as agriculture it should go straight to the Assembly and not Westminster.
But this has raised concerns that the governments of the different UK nations could cause trading chaos by putting in place their own regulations in areas such as food labelling and pesticides.
At a time when the UK Government is under major pressure over the threat of obstacles impeding our trading relationships with our nearest European neighbours, ministers will not want to allow the possibility of trade between Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland becoming more difficult.
But leaders in Wales and Scotland do not want post-Brexit Britain to be a country where Westminster takes on the role of Brussels, setting pan-UK regulations for everyone to follow.
The Welsh Government acknowledges the need for common frameworks, but has argued it wants these to be negotiated rather than imposed by Whitehall.
It has fiercely resisted the EU Withdrawal Bill and accused the UK Government of attempting a “naked power-grab”. This has raised the real possibility that the Assembly could refuse to grant consent for the landmark Brexit legislation.
AMs do not have a veto but it would be politically awkward for the UK Government to push through legislation affecting the powers of the devolved legislatures that was opposed by a majority of the people elected to sit in these institutions.
Talks between representatives of the different governments have failed to produce agreement on how the Bill should be amended to address devolved concerns. Nevertheless, the UK Government is about to table its own amendments and it has also published the list of policy areas where the Assembly initially may not be able to make its own laws.
David Lidington, the UK cabinet minister leading the talks process, says the devolved governments “will be required to follow current EU laws for a little bit longer while we work out a new UK approach”. He is unapologetic about the need to “have the ability to take action to protect the UK internal market”.
Free trade within the UK must be protected, but perceived attacks on devolution will trigger fury. The Western Mail newspaper is published by Media Wales a subsidiary company of Trinity Mirror PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The entire contents of The Western Mail are the copyright of Media Wales Ltd. It is an offence to copy any of its contents in any way without the company’s permission. If you require a licence to copy parts of it in any way or form, write to the Head of Finance at Six Park Street. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2016 was 62.8%