The UK has transferred spending powers that were previously held by the EU and Wales, to the UK government.
Under the new Internal Market Bill, which aims to connect the UK by an internal market in which goods and services can be traded, the UK has taken powers on spending from the EU and Welsh management, which previously gave Wales £375bn a year.
There has been outrage from the Welsh Parliament, a devolved body of the UK which develops policies and manages areas for Wales such as social services and education, and sets the budget. They have accused the government of ‘stealing powers’ from them. The Government has responded by saying that this is to boost the economy after Brexit as well as coronavirus.
The Bill also breaks International Law, as an Irish MP admitted earlier this week. The Bill’s aim is to set standards for goods and services across the UK and make it unlawful to favour one nation’s goods over another. However, it overrides parts of the Withdrawal Bill. The protocol for a no-deal Brexit states that any company will have to fill out an export declaration form when moving goods from N. Ire to GB, while this states that a minister can override or ignore it. The government would also have to follow EU law on giving aid to Northern Ireland, which the Bill states they can interpret what this means not in accordance with case law.
This has been controversial with members of each devolved body, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, as they feel it is a ‘power grab’ that has ‘serious implications for Northern Ireland’.
Written by Anna Male
Artwork by Aurora Brooks
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