Key Facts

• The amendments aim to ensure legislative approval from all devolved administrations before the CMA can undertake reviews.
• New clause 1 requires the Secretary of State to consult and report on dispute resolution mechanisms within two and three months respectively after the Act is passed.
• New clause 2 puts common frameworks on a statutory footing, preventing Ministers from overriding them through secondary legislation in devolved nations without parliamentary approval.
• The Bill is seen as an attack on the foundations of devolution.
• Amendments 28, 29, and 30 have been tabled by the SNP to exempt Scotland from part 4 of the bill.
• The Office for the Internal Market is described as an unelected quango that will override decisions made by elected representatives in the Scottish Parliament.
• The Bill is intended to create an independent internal market within CMA arrangements.
• OIM will provide non-binding advice and reports to both the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament.
• The speaker mentions that previous engagement with devolved nations had dried up, leading to lack of information before the Bill's publication.
• Cash argues the Bill respects devolution.
• The Office for the Internal Market’s provisions will be advisory to all Administrations.
• A company in Cash's constituency received different treatment under EU state aid rules compared to its Irish subsidiary.
• Richard Fuller raises concerns about the choice between a common approach and a common framework.
• Paragraph 8 on page 5 of the explanatory notes mentions the Government's engagement to agree a common approach for regulatory alignment with devolved administrations through the Common Frameworks Programme.
• The programme aims to protect the UK internal market by ensuring high levels of regulatory coherence.
• Rosie Winterton orders Neale Hanvey to resume his seat.
• Winterton emphasizes the need for Hanvey to address the amendments before the House rather than making broader criticisms.
• Rosie Winterton addresses concerns about the UK Internal Market Bill during a debate.
• She raises the issue of a company in her constituency facing high tariffs on imported chassis for lorry production.
• The MP questions how the Government will protect companies from such competitive disadvantages.
• The Bill would affect Scotland’s ability to set important policies like free tuition for students and minimum unit pricing for alcohol.
• On September 14, the Royal Society of Edinburgh warned that using UK Government authority against devolved Administrations' wishes would constitute a failure in intergovernmental relations.
• The Office for the Internal Market will enable it to lie above the powers of the Scottish Parliament.
• The UK Internal Market Bill is described as an economic Bill.
• It aims to remove regulatory obstacles to trade within the UK.
• Reference to EU structural funds benefiting deprived areas in Scotland and other parts of the UK.
• The UK Internal Market Bill is seen as driving a 'race to the bottom' in harmonising standards.
• Devolved nations like Wales and Scotland have developed more ambitious standards than Westminster, now threatened by the Bill.
• Welsh Government proposes a ban on nine single-use plastic items while UK Government plans for just three.
• The Prime Minister referred to a foreign power interfering in negotiations.
• The Environment Bill faces little opposition due to its broad framework approach.
• Amendments 28 and 29 seek consent from devolved Administrations on decisions affecting them.
• The Bill replaces 60 years of jurisprudence overseen by experts.
• Decisions will be made by a group of people who have not been appointed yet.
• The policy to be operated is not decided, the budget has not been agreed upon, and there is no existing jurisprudence.
• Amendments aim to maintain minimum standards.
• The Bill seeks to restore pre-existing internal market conditions.
• There is a push for support from Opposition MPs to back these amendments.
• The Bill provides businesses with certainty to grow and thrive.
• The CBI and Scottish Retail Consortium support the unamended Bill.
• An independent Office for the Internal Market will be created within the Competition and Markets Authority.
• Clause 28 allows the OIM to monitor the internal market.
• Clause 29 grants the CMA authority to conduct research independently and regulate cross-border competition, investments, and trade levels.
• Clause 30 mandates transparency by requiring all reports commissioned by the CMA to be shared with national authorities after 15 days.
• Clause 32 enables objective reporting on economic impacts of new laws without party-political influences.
• Clause 34 permits the CMA to exclude information deemed harmful to UK business interests from its reports.
• New clause 2 seeks to prevent Ministers from overriding and imposing lower standards on devolved nations.
• The Government's actions suggest an agenda to create a race-to-the-bottom economy, undermining environmental and food standards.
• Winterton urges support for new clause 2 to ensure the Bill respects devolved powers and maintains common frameworks.
• The United Kingdom Internal Market Bill aims to uphold the integrity of the UK's internal market post-Brexit.
• Clause 28 to 39 establish an Independent Advisory Office for the Internal Market under the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
• The CMA will provide impartial advice on regulations that may damage the UK internal market.
• The Scottish Retail Consortium states that Scottish consumers and economy benefit from the largely unfettered internal single market.
• Amendments 28 and 29 are deemed unnecessary and potentially harmful to UK-wide trade.
• The CBI supports protecting the internal market, essential for business continuity.
• The Liberal Democrat colleagues have tabled amendment 21 and new clauses 1 and 4.
• Devolved Administrations are unlikely to give legislative consent to the Bill due to concerns about damage to devolved settlements.
• Section 65 of the Scotland Act 2016 gave Scottish Ministers power to appoint a member to the Ofcom panel.
• New clause 4 would allow each devolved Administration to appoint a member of the CMA board.
• Great Britain accounts for 52.7% of Northern Ireland’s external sales.
• Northern Ireland's food and drink sales to Great Britain are valued at over £2.3 billion.
• The UK internal market is the largest market in six out of 10 agri-food sub-sectors.
• 65% of what Northern Ireland purchases is from Great Britain.
• The Northern Ireland economy makes £13.3 billion worth of purchases from Great Britain annually.
• Foreign direct investment in Northern Ireland after London is the single largest part of the United Kingdom.
• Some 532,000 units move out of Belfast harbour to Great Britain each year.
• The Office for the Internal Market (OIM) will decide whether a bill meets the new test for the internal market, putting constraints on devolved competencies.
• Scrutiny of OIM decisions is unclear with only an annual report requirement without specified scrutiny processes.
• Regulations proposed to set up this body lack clarity about its remit and decision-making mechanisms.
• The Bill undermines the role of regional governments in powering their communities.
• Food standards are a key example of the impact of the Bill on constituents.
• The MP criticizes the Prime Minister's deal last year as it threw Northern Ireland under a bus.
• Two options for the Government: renege on the withdrawal agreement or uphold international law and negotiate with the EU.
• The UK Internal Market Bill is seen as a threat to the devolution settlement.
• The speaker warns about the dangers to the Good Friday Agreement.
• Amendments are proposed to respect Parliaments across the United Kingdom.
• The Bill is seen as enforcing lowest common denominator in goods and services.
• The Office for the Internal Market lacks significant enforcement powers.
• The statement emphasizes emotional and practical impacts on cross-border trading relationships like Cumbria-Dumfriesshire.
• The European Union provides common rules and standards.
• The United Kingdom Internal Market Bill may incentivize reduced standards in one part of the UK.
• There are concerns about the Competition and Markets Authority not being representative of all the nation.
• GB accounts for 53% of Northern Ireland’s external sales valued at £2.3 billion.
• 90% of Northern Ireland businesses trading with GB are SMEs.
• The unemployment rate in Northern Ireland is 2.9%, compared to the UK's 4.1% and the EU's 6.7%.
• Martin Howe QC’s legal opinion states that proposed GB to NI tariffs would breach the Good Friday Agreement.
• Labour aims to get Brexit done while respecting devolution.
• Since 2017, there has been a process of agreeing common frameworks but they are now non-binding under the Bill.
• The Government's approach undermines the process and makes statutory instrument imposition more likely.
• Labour supports the principle of the Bill but seeks improvements through amendments.
• The common frameworks programme has been in place since 2017, leading to positive outcomes.
• New clause 2 aims to prevent Ministers from unilaterally overriding agreed common frameworks without consent.
• Around 60% of Scottish and Welsh exports are to the rest of the UK, which is around three times as much as their exports to the EU.
• About 50% of Northern Ireland’s sales are to Great Britain.
• The Office for the Internal Market will be established within the Competition and Markets Authority.
• The Office for the Internal Market provides non-binding expert reporting on regulatory measures.
• Clause 28 defines regulatory provisions on which the CMA will report and advise.
• Amendment 28 seeks to exclude Scotland from benefits of the new Office.
• The OIM will provide non-binding reports and advice to devolved Administrations upon request.
• Clause 30 supports fair functioning by providing technical, non-binding advice on regulatory proposals.
• Clauses 31-35 establish reporting procedures for regulations that may impact the UK internal market.
• The amendment would require the Secretary of State to consult with devolved Administrations before implementing financial penalties.
• Common frameworks were agreed by UK Government and devolved Administrations in October 2017.
• Five common framework agreements, including one on food standards, are scheduled for approval before Christmas.
• The Committee divided: Ayes 195, Noes 356.
• The vote resulted in the negation of the clause.