Harvie: UK Internal Market Bill an assault on devolution
Speaking ahead of a Scottish Parliament debate on the UK Internal Market Bill, Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“This Bill places a veto on a huge range of Scottish Parliament legislation into the hands of Boris Johnson. It is an assault on democracy that allows his ministers to slap down any devolved decision that gets in the way of his free market extremism.
“The UK Internal Market Bill threatens our environmental, food and farming standards. It threatens Scotland’s decision to ban polluting industries and prevent new nuclear power stations. It could be used to undermine bold public health measures such as minimum unit pricing for alcohol, and it certainly could allow further private sector involvement in our NHS.
“I’m confident that the Scottish Parliament, and the other devolved institutions, will refuse to consent to this appalling legislation. If the UK Government chooses to proceed despite that lack of consent it will once again show the people of Scotland that the UK simply has nothing to offer them but contempt.”