Bruce Crawford MSP

In its response to the UK Government’s White Paper consultation, the committee tells the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that an internal market must, as a minimum, be based on inclusive dialogue with the devolved governments, Parliaments and wider public.

More substantively, the committee says in its letter, the legal design of an internal market involves choices, balances and trade-offs that demand detailed consideration, and must not be imposed.

Bruce Crawford MSP, finance and constitution committee convener, said: “The Committee’s view is that there is an onus on all four governments and legislatures across the UK to work constructively together to seek a solution to this complex and challenging issue. 

“This must be achieved through mutual trust and respect for the existing constitutional arrangements within the UK. 

“In particular - as this Committee has emphasised on numerous occasions - the UK Government, post-Brexit, must respect the devolution settlement. There must be a transparent and inclusive public debate on the white paper proposals which allows all interested parties and the wider public to contribute.”

He added: “The significance of the proposals for all citizens across the UK means that the solution cannot be left to the UK Government to decide. A consensus needs to be achieved and this requires a much longer, inclusive and more detailed debate than what is currently being proposed.”