6. Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition: The UK Internal Market Bill

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:17 pm on 15 September 2020.

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Photo of Mark Reckless Mark Reckless Conservative 6:17, 15 September 2020

Counsel General, once again you seem to want to frustrate Brexit. Your party voted against every withdrawal agreement, while legislating to prevent our leaving the EU without an agreement, to try to remain in the EU even though Wales and the UK had voted to leave. As Darren Millar said in his excellent contribution, while you didn't object to the EU exercising powers, you won't extend that same courtesy to the UK Government. Indeed, in your response to the internal market White Paper, you seem to question the very legitimacy of the UK Government exercising a power across the UK. I quote what you said:

'the context of the UK is key. By legislating in this way, the UK Government would be imposing a model of mutual recognition and non-discrimination on the three other nations of the UK'.

But the UK Government is not imposing anything on other nations, since it represents all four nations of the United Kingdom. It answers to a Parliament in which the people of Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are all represented, yet you allege that UK Ministers will flout domestic law, despite the Westminster Parliament legislating to legalise what they do.

Minister, isn't the reason you disagree with that Parliament's internal market Bill because you don't agree with its goal of keeping our union together, mutual recognition and non-discrimination between four nations, and preventing barriers between our nations, including those the EU would put down the Irish sea to divide Wales from Northern Ireland? Minister, you want us to stay tied to the EU and you want devolution to differentiate and divide our United Kingdom. But the people of the United Kingdom do not. Isn't it right that the Westminster Parliament represents them with this Bill?