Brexit Britain is Broken News

BfS calls on FM to announce May 2021 referendum on Johnson’s war on devolution

Written by Michelle Rodger

Press Release

Business for Scotland has called on the First Minister to act now to protect Scotlands Parliament and devolution itself.

 Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp, BfS CEO and co-ordinator of the grass roots led Believe in Scotland independence campaign has today written to Nicola Sturgeon to warn of the risk to devolution. 

In his letter, he says: “It is clear that devolution is coming under attack from the fallout of Westminsters disastrous Brexit policy and its shambolic implementation. 

“The Internal Market Bill allows the UK government to override laws passed at Holyrood. It would also remove powers from Holyrood whilst ending devolution as we know it and the people of Scotland wont allow that.

“On top of that Boris Johnson stated last night that ‘devolution has been a disaster north of the border’, that it was Tony Blairs ‘biggest mistake’ and that there is no case for handing down more powers from Westminster to the nations.”  

The letter goes on to say that this clearly shows the true face of the Westminster Government as anti devolution and anti the Scottish Parliament and that the promise of more powers, most clearly promoted with the Vow which was signed by all three Unionist Westminster Party leaders is now in tatters. It is clear that far from offering Scotland more powers to head off a second independence referendum, Westminster plans to take powers back from the Scottish Parliament whilst forcing Brexit on Scotland, thus undermining the very promise of more powers that held the Union together in 2014.

 MacIntyre-Kemp concludes: “I have absolute faith in your commitment to protecting the powers of the Scottish Government and that you share the view of both Business for Scotland and Believe in Scotland that independence is best for Scotland and the people of Scotland. If this suggestion is not one that the Scottish Government is considering I urge you to only reject this idea if you can immediately outline a better course of action to protect Scotlands Parliament and its powers from this disastrous Westminster power grab.”

Ends
Notes for Editors:

Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp on giving evidence to the Westminster Trade Bill committee almost three years ago stated that Brexit was incompatible with devolution and that Brexit and the Trade bill would inevitably lead to “the UK Government having had free reign to agree trade deals that run roughshod over the devolution agreements for the smaller nations in these islands.”

About the author

Michelle Rodger

Michelle is a former national newspaper journalist who co-founded an award-winning IT business before launching Tartan Cat Communications. A social media and crowdfunding expert she manages media and communications for Business for Scotland.

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