Michael Gove dismisses Brexit trade Bill concerns as 'myth and fantasy'

MSPs had their concerns about Boris Johnson’s controversial post-Brexit trade Bill dismissed as “confected political myth” and “lurid fantasy” as Michael Gove defended the legislation.

Michael Gove today defended the UK government's Internal Markets Bill during a grilling by MSPs.

In a fiery hour-long evidence session to Holyrood’s finance committee – a day after the Scottish Government said it would not back giving consent to the Internal Market Bill (IMB) – Mr Gove rejected every opposing argument and said the IMB would give the Scottish Parliament a “power surge”.

SNP, Labour and Green MSPs all raised concerns about the Bill’s impact on the devolution settlement and the government's ability to set its own food standards as well as potential privatisation of the NHS.

But the Cabinet minister – who was attending in place of Business Secretary Alok Sharma – said they were misplaced.

He also rejected the accusation that his government was leading Scotland on the path to independence by forcing the Bill through Westminster without the support of the devolved governments.

“The UK Internal Market Bill combined with the additional powers the Scottish Parliament gains as a result of our departure from the EU, results in a net increase of power to the Scottish Parliament – it’s a power surge,” he said.

"The Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government will be stronger within the framework of the UK.”

Challenged by committee convener Bruce Crawford, who read a list of potential detrimental impacts highlighted by expert evidence, including from the National Farmers Union (NFU), and asked if “all these people are wrong?”, Mr Gove said: “I believe the NFU is supportive of the principle of an internal market and it believes, rightly, that it’s important that high quality Scottish produce should have unfettered access to the rest of the UK, and we need to ensure that and we can do that through both common frameworks and the Bill.

"We take account of every concern, but some are misplaced. There's been some misinformation and myth-making about the legislation.

"While the whole UK was in the EU, the operation of all our domestic business was constrained by EU law. Now we’re outside all legislatures will have more power.”

Asked about the impact of the Bill on domestic legislation such as minimum unit pricing on alcohol, Mr Gove said: "It would never be threatened by this legislation.”

He said: “If it was applied in England in a way that was discriminatory – that alcoholic drinks produced in England were subjected to a different price mechanism to alcoholic drinks manufactured and produced in Scotland or Wales that would be covered by the Bill. For sake of argument if the Welsh government was to say that whisky produced in Scotland would have a different MUP than whisky produced in Wales, then that could be contested, but if it said all whisky sold in Wales has to be subject to MUP it could do so and set the price.”

Scottish Labour's Alex Rowley asked about the potential of cosmetics, which had been tested on animals, being put on sale in Scotland if the UK Government entered into a trade deal with a country that allowed the practice, and concerns about the NHS being on the table in future trade deals.

“There have been all sorts of myths like these which have been put about - they’re nonsense,” said Mr Gove. “They’re to scare children at bedtime, not real reflection of policy.

"We can limit live animal exports, and ban the sale of fur ... the idea the UK Government would somehow compromise our high animal welfare standards is for the birds.

"A lot of people have said this will lead to a race to the bottom, but economists will say ‘look at the reveal preference, look at how folk have acted in the past if you want to know how they’ll act in the future’ - and this UK Government has been an animal welfare world leader.”

He added: “It may be a lurid fantasy of some that it’s a secret agenda to use this Bill as a Trojan horse to privatise parts of the NHS, but it's one of the most absurd, irrational fantasies I've ever heard in my political life. The NHS is not for sale in any circumstances.”

But Mr Rowley hit back: “You're creating the legislation that will allow that to happen and that's the key difference – and if you've no intent to see these things happen, why create the legislation?

"That’s why the people of Scotland are revolting in mass around these issues, and it's why you will pave the way to independence in Scotland, not the SNP.”

However, Mr Gove said he had seen no evidence of “people revolting”.

“I don't think this is the talk of the steamie,” he said.

“I don't think it's the case that people in Aberdeen or Auchtermuchty are looking at the UK Internal Markets Bill and are saying this is a Trojan horse, and if you do find people saying that who are not paid up members of the SNP I’d be very interested to hear from them, but this is a totally confected political myth."

Mike Russell, the Scottish Government’s constitutional relations secretary, had yesterday said he would ask MSPs not to grant consent to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Internal Market Bill in the hope it will “kill it stone dead”.

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