Ministers foil Sturgeon’s plan for checks on Scottish border
SENIOR ministers will move to outlaw any chance of Nicola Sturgeon exploiting Brexit to impose customs checks at the Scottish border.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove and Business Secretary Alok Sharma will today unveil proposals to ensure the whole UK remains covered by a single market for trade following the end of the country’s transition out of the EU on December 31.
The plan is designed to close a loophole that could open up once Britain quits the EU’s single market.
Ministers are understood to be concerned that nationalist politicians of the devolved assemblies in Scotland or
Wales could attempt to undermine the Union by imposing tariffs, or even blockading English goods.
The worry has been intensified after Ms Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, refused to rule out ordering visitors from England to Scotland into enforced quarantine.
Mr Gove and Mr Sharma will publish proposals for strengthening the UK’s internal market guaranteeing the continued ability of all UK companies to trade unhindered in every part of the Union.
They opened a four-week consultation with the assemblies, local authorities, consumer groups and businesses before legislating on the issue. Whitehall officials point out that businesses depend on trade with the UK’s home nations.
In Scotland, sales of produce to the rest of the UK account for more than 60 per cent of exports.
Mr Sharma said: “Ensuring businesses will be able to continue trading freely across all four corners of the UK without the burden of inconsistent regulation or additional costs will be essential as we fire up our economic engines as we recover from coronavirus.”
In a sop to the nationalists, the proposals will also pave the way for at least 70 policy areas including energy efficiency of buildings, air quality and animal welfare to be handed to the national assemblies.
Mr Gove said: “We will develop new ways of working together and learning from each other to help create more opportunities for jobs and investment for businesses and citizens across the United Kingdom.”