Welsh Government demand ‘urgent meeting’ after UK Government hid Brexit plans
The Welsh Government have called for an “urgent meeting” after a leaked document showed that the UK Government hid their Brexit plans from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The document leaked yesterday included an order to withhold key lines from the devolved administrations related to food, a devolved area.
“This further corrodes trust in the UK government which is already at a low ebb following the publication of the Internal Market Bill, a direct attack on devolution,” the Welsh Government said.
“Over the last two years, we’ve put the interests of our country first by setting aside our political differences and working constructively with the UK Government and the other devolved administrations to make sure we’re all as well prepared as we can be for the fundamental change in our relations with the EU which is coming.
“We’re now calling on the UK Government to do the same and are requesting an urgent meeting with them to press home this point.”
The UK Government’s ‘Transition period planning assumptions (central case)’ document includes orders that the information “should not be shared publicly with the devolved administrations at this stage”.
The information being concealed includes a “reasonable worst-case scenario” for food supplies. The document itself admits that food supply is a devolved area.
‘Pretence’
Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader Liz Saville-Roberts said yesterday that the leaked documents “lay bare the cynical manipulation tactics of a rogue Westminster Government scheming to keep Wales in the dark”.
“If trampling over devolution and breaking international law wasn’t enough, the UK Government is now intent on destroying any trust that remained between itself and the devolved governments,” she said.
“All pretence that this is a union of equals has been blown out of the water. It is no surprise that more people than ever are looking at Westminster’s relentless attacks on Welsh democracy and realising that we can do better ourselves.”
The SNP reacted to the document by saying that the UK Government had “deliberately hid crucial information about its extreme Brexit plans”.
This “included the likelihood of food shortages” and “details about the Tory power grab on the Scottish Parliament” they said.
“It demonstrates, yet again, that the Tories cannot be trusted to act in Scotland’s interests – or even tell the truth,” an SNP spokesperson said.
“We already knew they were willing to break international law, and this shows they have attempted to disguise their plans to impose an extreme Brexit against Scotland’s will.”
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