Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition (in respect of his European Transition responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 2:38 pm on 7 October 2020.
I thank the Member for that question. Behaviour such as withholding information from devolved administrations, in relation to the matter of preparedness on a question so significant as this, is fundamentally corrosive of the relationship of trust between Governments in the UK. What we have been able to say is that, in the area of preparation, joint working has been possible, and it has been effective, even if it has, at times, not been adequate. But where information is withheld, that causes the Welsh Government to have to revisit our level of assurance around the arrangements that have been put in place. And I was very disappointed, not least that yesterday I had a meeting with UK Government Ministers to describe food supply, and to see the information that was put in the public domain a matter of hours after that was particularly disappointing.
I've asked for an urgent meeting with Michael Gove, so that I can understand what's gone on here, and what other information we may not be having access to. What this suggests is that, where there is a policy or political difference between the governments in the UK, we cannot rely on full information being made available. And I think the reference in the extract that we saw yesterday to the internal market Bill just tells us, I think, how toxic that Bill is in terms of its impact on the relationship between Governments across the UK.