Boris Johnson’s Brexit Gamble Foments a Brewing Scottish Rebellion
Boris Johnson’s Brexit Gamble Ferments a Brewing Scottish Rebellion
(Bloomberg) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is feuding with Europe over Brexit and facing a growing backlash from within his own party. There’s also a rebellion over the U.K.’s future that only looks set to get worse.
Scotland opposes the Internal Market Bill that has led to the latest acrimony with the European Union. Johnson’s government has said the legislation will ensure there are no barriers to trade between different parts of the U.K. The administration in Edinburgh says it encroaches on powers already ceded to Scotland such as on food standards and the environment.
Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon called the plan an “abomination” and a “naked power grab” after it was published on Wednesday. “We will fight tooth and nail against this shameless bid to reverse the devolution of power,” she said.
Johnson’s immediate challenge is to rescue Brexit trade talks after his government caused consternation in Brussels by acknowledging the draft bill would break international law by overriding parts of an accord with the EU. But the latest developments also could have existential implications for the U.K. that go beyond any relationship with Europe.
Scotland last week reaffirmed its intention to force another referendum on independence after lambasting the British government’s stance. Support for breaking away from England has gained popular support during the coronavirus pandemic and Sturgeon said last week she planned to introduce legislation in coming months for a vote.
While the U.K. has refused to sanction a referendum, her pro-independence Scottish National Party looks set for another landslide in elections to the Scottish Parliament in May and that would heap pressure on Johnson.
In the meantime, the SNP-dominated Scottish Parliament won’t approve the proposed Internal Market Bill as is required under a convention rather than law. The government in Edinburgh fears the legislation will be forced through like the Brexit agreement that took the U.K. out of the EU.
“To see a Westminster government that is trampling over devolution, and is giving the government in London powers over every devolved area, is something that people in Scotland are going to just be insulted by,” said Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader in the House of Commons. “This will end the union.”
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