The European Movement in Scotland (EMiS), the country’s leading pro-EU body, is stepping up its campaign to rejoin the European Union in 2023 with new hires and a fresh membership drive.
EU+me, another pro-European body, is joining forces with EMiS this month to give what its outgoing chair, Prof Stephen Gethins, calls “focus, scale and momentum” to the growing campaign for Scotland to rejoin the EU – in its own right or as part of the UK.
At the same time, EMiS has appointed David McDonald (SNP), a former depute leader and convener for culture, vibrancy and international relations at Glasgow City Council, to be its new membership and campaigns co-ordinator.
These moves come as David Clarke, a financial consultant and ex-journalist who has worked to develop Scotland’s financial services sector and build relations with his native Ireland, takes over from Mark Lazarowicz, the former Labour MP, as EMiS chair with a remit to grow the membership and boost the rejoin movement.
They also come on the 50th anniversary of the UK joining the then European Economic Community in 1973 and amid widespread evidence that British voters are repenting their 2016 decision to exit the EU (Brexit), increasingly tending to favour rejoining the world’s biggest peace project and trading bloc.
According to YouGov, only 32% of people across the UK now believe it was right to leave the EU while a clear majority, 56%, says it was wrong – a margin of 24 points, the widest recorded since the 2016 referendum. Almost three-quarters of young Scots wish to rejoin the EU.
Like EMiS, EU+me has been a non-partisan network of pro-Europeans making the positive case for our future as a European nation at the heart of the EU. Its outgoing chair, ex-SNP MP, Professor Gethins, is joining the EMiS executive as a co-opted member in the wake of the merger.
Stephen Gethins, former SNP MP and spokesperson for international affairs and Europe, said: “The European Union is one of the great success stories of our times. It has delivered peace, prosperity and stability to its citizens since it was founded.
“Every state that has joined the EU has seen an improvement in the quality of life of its citizens. The only Member State to have left, the UK, has seen a deterioration of its citizens’ quality of life.
“We all know that leaving the EU against our will has had a devastating impact on our economy, on our freedoms, protections and rights. Young people, who have had opportunity snatched away, and small businesses who have seen a dramatic increase in red tape have been particularly badly affected. It is unsurprising that support for rejoining the EU is growing in support whilst backing for remaining isolated outside is evaporating.
“This is the right time to consolidate the major pro-European campaigns in Scotland. Providing focus, scale and momentum. EMIS is the obvious point of consolidation and host for that process. EU+me have now formalised the partnership that we have always enjoyed with colleagues in EMIS. We will now be joining forces putting our resources, innovative content and network of relationships fully behind.”
David Clarke added: ” The statistics are becoming clearer by the day, no matter what the Brexit flat-earthers would have us believe – leaving the EU has made us poorer and our lives more difficult. As a result, pro-Europeans in Scotland are uniting around the benefits of closer links with our European partners with the eventual aim of rejoining the EU.
“We are determined to provide a clear and evidence-based path to closer cooperation with Europe and we look forward to working with partners in Scotland and the wider UK to overturn this divisive and disastrous Brexit.”
Two year anniversary of the end of the transition period
The people of Scotland must be given a choice about their future given the damage inflicted by Brexit, Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson has said.
Marking two years since the end of the transition period to leave the European Union after 47 years of membership, Mr Robertson highlighted the negative impacts Brexit continues to have on Scotland’s economy.
Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson said: “The damages caused by Brexit just continue to mount.
“In the two years since the end of the transition period, we have seen no advantages to leaving the European Union. The cost of living crisis and recession are being felt more deeply in the UK than anywhere else, with recent research showing food bills in the UK are £210 higher in the last two years due to Brexit. Households on the lowest incomes are the hardest hit.
“The UK economy is fundamentally on the wrong path and there is no real alternative on offer within the current system.
“The Scottish Government is committed to giving the people of Scotland a choice about the future they want – a greener, wealthier and fairer economy within the European Union, or a sluggish, stagnating economy outside of the European Union. We will continue to publish the Building a New Scotland series of prospectus papers to ensure people can make that informed choice.
“According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, UK GDP is expected to be 4% lower as a consequence of Brexit – this equates to around £100 billion in output and £40 billion in public revenues lost each and every year. Businesses are suffering from lower exports to the EU, labour shortages and recruitment challenges. These issues are also affecting our NHS, with new research by the Nuffield Trust showing that lower EU migration is exacerbating staff shortages.
“Scotland is and always has been a proud European nation and we’re determined to continue to be an active and constructive participant on EU matters, which will ease the process of Scotland’s future return to the EU.
“This is in stark contrast to the approach being taken by the UK Government, intent on undermining retained EU law which will be hugely damaging to people and businesses in Scotland.”
Law firm CMS and the Fraser of Allander Institute has launched a new campaign aimed at bringing together Scotland’s business community, government and policy groups to maximise the nation’s economic growth potential.
The International Scotland initiative begins with the release of a new report highlighting some of the core opportunities for Scottish business, trade, and tourism to excel on the international stage.
The International Scotland report sets out how the nation punches above its weight in key sectors such as renewables, tourism and food & drink. It also recognises the strength of the Scottish university sector in supporting new, innovative companies and highlights how Scotland is an ideal location to attract international talent.
The report also focuses on some of the pros and cons of Brexit, suggesting that the UK’s exit from the EU could bring opportunities for the whisky market in nations like India and has also resulted in an upturn in international students at Scottish universities. It does, however, highlight the damaging impact Brexit has had on supply chains and many companies’ ability to do business, as well as its detrimental effect on foreign investment into Scotland.
A full copy of the International Scotland report can be found here
CMS and the Fraser of Allander Institute will now stage a series of events across Scotland involving direct engagement with the business community, Scottish Government ministers and other policy influencers.
Richard Lochhead MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work, will address the first event, focusing on Scotland’s transition to net-zero, in Aberdeen on 22 November.
Ivan McKee MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, will then speak at an event focused on his ministerial remit in Edinburgh on 23 November. Mr McKee will also address the final ‘Invest in Scotland’ event, taking place in Glasgow on 7 December.
During the events, participants will discuss the key themes covered by the International Scotland report with a focus on developing policy proposals and recommendations aimed at reducing economic barriers and maximising global economic opportunities.
Companies and individuals wishing to apply to attend the events can register their interest here
Allan Wernham, Managing Director of CMS Scotland, said: “CMS is proud to join forces with Fraser of Allander Institute to launch the International Scotland campaign.
“Leveraging the knowledge and expertise within both organisations, we are focused on the core themes of business, trade and tourism; inward investment; and the transition to net zero and the key opportunities and challenges for Scotland in fulfilling its full economic potential.
“We now look forward to engaging in further discussions with the business community, government and policy groups to build consensus on the best way forward and develop innovative policy ideas that will help the Scottish economy to thrive.”
Professor Mairi Spowage, Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, said: “We are excited to work with CMS on this new, internationally focused campaign.
“Using the evidence base highlighted in the International Scotland report, we will engage with a wider cross-section of stakeholders to explore the key barriers and enablers for the Scottish economy on the international stage.
“The forthcoming events taking place across Scotland will serve as the basis for feedback, input, further reflection and, ultimately, policy recommendation to drive economic growth.”
Brexit has cost Edinburgh the equivalent of £211.4 million as Scottish exports have plummeted since the UK left the EU to the value of £2.2bn.
Figures from HMRC show that exports have dropped 13% in the past two years from £16.7bn to £14.5bn.
The £2.2bn loss is equivalent to Edinburgh losing £211.4 million.
Commenting, Gordon Macdonald MSP said: “Brexit has been an unmitigated disaster for every area of Scotland, including in Edinburgh. These latest figures show why it is essential for Scotland to become independent and re-join the European Union.
“Only with independence can we get back on the road towards prosperity as both Labour and the Tories offer no way back to the European Union, just continuing decline under Westminster control.
“Industries in Edinburgh and across Scotland are suffering as a result of the disastrous Brexit, the only way Scotland can flourish and realise our full potential is by becoming an independent country in the European Union.”
Powers passed by MSPs to help deal with the impact of Brexit are being used for the first time to ensure Scotland’s high quality drinking water aligns with standards set by the European Union.
The new regulations will be laid in the Scottish Parliament on Monday 31 October and should come into force from 1 January 2023 to tie in with the new monitoring year.
The EU Continuity Act 2020 ensures that Scotland can maintain and advance the high standards shared between devolved Scots and EU law, irrespective of the consequences of the UK’s exit from the European Union.
New regulations being laid under the Act this week will adhere to updated standards set by the World Health Organisation that limit emerging pollutants and endocrine disrupting compounds.
Such pollutants include PFAs which are better known as ‘forever chemicals’ and are commonly used in non-stick and water repellent products and do not degrade when they reach the environment.
Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson said: “Scotland’s drinking water is renowned for its excellent quality all over the world and we will be relentless in ensuring it stays this way and meets the highest of standards.
“These latest steps we are taking, to maintain those standards, are a prime example of our commitment to re-join the EU and align with its policies. Through such action, we will continue to protect the health and wellbeing of people in Scotland and also ease the future process of Scotland’s return to the EU.
“This is in stark contrast to the approach being taken by the UK Government, intent on undermining retained EU law which will be hugely damaging to people and businesses in Scotland.
“We’re determined to continue to be an active and constructive participant on EU matters, which will ease the process of Scotland’s future return to the EU.”
In its report, the Committee highlights substantive differences between the views of the UK Government and the Scottish and Welsh Governments regarding future alignment with EU law.
The Committee’s report makes clear that these differences raise fundamental constitutional questions including the extent the UK can accommodate four different regulatory environments within a cohesive internal market, as well as whether the existing institutional mechanisms are sufficient to resolve differences between the four governments within the UK when there are fundamental disagreements regarding alignment with EU law.
The Committee is concerned with how devolution needs to evolve to address these questions. This includes the operation of the Sewel Convention which the Committee agrees is under strain following Brexit and the extent of UK Ministers’ new delegated powers in devolved areas which the Committee agrees amounts to a significant constitutional change.
The report states there is a need for a much wider public debate about where power lies within the devolution settlement following the UK’s departure from the EU. This needs to address the extent of regulatory autonomy within the UK internal market.
Committee Convener, Clare Adamson MSP said: ““As a Committee, we have already set out our concerns about the risks for devolved Parliaments as a result of Brexit. But the questions raised in our report make it clear that there are fundamental issues which must be addressed urgently.
“Without wider debate, both in this Parliament and elsewhere, these fundamental questions will go unresolved, and the way devolution works outside of the EU will remain uncertain.”
Deputy Convener, Donald Cameron MSP said: “Our committee is agreed that there is a need for a wide debate on the very serious and complex issues raised in our report.
“However, this debate is not simply one for Governments and Parliaments, but businesses, civic society and the wider public as well in order that we can fully explore the current issues facing not just the Scottish Parliament, but the wider devolution process.”
The TUC has demanded that hard-won workers’ rights will be protected after reports emerged suggesting that Jacob Rees-Mogg is drawing up a list comprising over 1,000 EU-derived regulations to be ripped up.
The TUC says it received a letter from the business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng in February 2022 which promised “there is no government plan to reduce workers rights”, after the union body had called for guarantees following the start of a review into EU-retained law.
The union body is calling for fresh assurance in the wake of new reports.
The TUC previously commissioned the legal help of Michael Ford QC to examine the rights at risk post-Brexit, including those strengthened by EU law. The rights include, among others:
Holiday pay
Equal pay for men and women
Parental leave
Equal treatment for part-time workers
These rights provide an essential protection against the erosion of working conditions, which are already under threat. Women living in North East Somerset currently earn an average of just 56.6% of the earnings of their male counterparts; the TUC South West region warns that without essential EU legislation, conditions such as these could erode even further, becoming harder to rectify.
The reports suggest that the bill will “fast-track” repealing regulations. The TUC says this could see some essential rights removed or watered down without proper parliamentary scrutiny.
The prime minister has promised to protect and enhance workers’ rights post-Brexit on numerous occasions.
In addition to the threat to “essential” workplace rights, the TUC points to the EU Commission’s proposals to strengthen the rights of platform workers, which shows how the UK is already at risk of falling behind our European counterparts on workers’ rights a year into Brexit.
TUC South West Regional Secretary Nigel Costley said: “Workers in North East Somerset, as across the UK, will feel the hit if Mr. Rees-Mogg is allowed to treat essential workplace protections as so-called ‘burdens of regulation’.
“Protections such as holiday entitlement, parental leave, equal pay, and equal treatment for part-time workers are essential to our wellbeing and quality of life. These are the very rights which are protected by retained EU law.
“This reckless, sweeping proposal treats all EU legislation with one brush, and if allowed to go ahead without scrutiny would be a shameful dismissal of conditions that workers depend on. We would hope Rees-Mogg wouldn’t stoop to this level of contempt for working people, especially those in his own constituency.
“This government has promised to ‘protect and enhance’ workers’ rights after Brexit; it is time that they make good on those promises.”
SNP MSP GORDON MACDONALD SLATES ‘MORE TORY BROKEN PROMISES‘
SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has slated the Westminster Tory Government for failing the people of Edinburgh by short-changing them by the equivalent of £14.6 million through the so-called Shared Prosperity Fund.
Following Brexit, which the people of Edinburgh did not vote for, the UK Government promised to replace every penny of the money Scotland previously received from the European Union. For this year, it is estimated that would have been £183 million.
However, figures just published show that Scotland will receive only £32 million this year. That is £151 million short of the £183 million promised and works out at an estimated equivalent of £14.6 million for Edinburgh.
Gordon MacDonald MSP said: “Not only did the people of Edinburgh not vote for Tory Brexit, we are paying a very high price for this disastrous Tory obsession.
“EU funding has supported infrastructure projects and community initiatives across the country since the 1970s, with Scotland receiving and delivering more than £6 billion of EU Structural Funds.
“Being short-changed again by the Tories, this time to the equivalent of £14.6 million, really adds insult to injury for the people of Edinburgh.
“This demonstrates exactly why the Tories’ sick joke of ‘levelling up’ actually means our community losing out, with Edinburgh facing the estimated loss of £14.6 million had Scotland not been taken out of the EU against our will.
“Not only that, the Scottish Government previously made decisions about how best to spend the EU money based on local priorities. Now a UK Tory Government – which Scotland did not vote for and hasn’t done for a lifetime – is cutting Scotland’s elected Government out of the decision-making process.
“That is both a betrayal of democracy and a disgrace that money will be spent on Tory priorities which will fail to meet the needs of communities in Edinburgh.
“This is yet another shocking demonstration why the Tories cannot be trusted with Scotland’s future. Scotland deserves better than Partygate liar Boris Johnson’s litany of broken promises.
“By voting SNP in the local elections on May the people of Scotland will send a crystal clear message to Johnson’s Tories that they will never be trusted.”
Prime Minister pledges Brexit Freedoms Bill to cut EU red tape
A new ‘Brexit Freedoms’ Bill will be brought forward by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, to mark the two-year anniversary of ‘Getting Brexit Done’.
‘Brexit Freedoms’ Bill will be brought forward to end to the special status of EU law and ensure that it can be more easily amended or removed
Major cross-government drive to cut £1 billion of red tape for businesses and improve regulation
Announcement follows PM’s New Years Day pledge to go “further and faster” to maximise the benefits of Brexit in 2022
A new ‘Brexit Freedoms’ Bill will be brought forward by the government, under plans unveiled by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to mark the two-year anniversary of Getting Brexit Done.
The Bill will make it easier to amend or remove outdated ‘retained EU law’ – legacy EU law kept on the statute book after Brexit as a bridging measure – and will accompany a major cross-government drive to reform, repeal and replace outdated EU law.
These reforms will cut £1 billion of red tape for UK businesses, ease regulatory burdens and contribute to the government’s mission to unite and level up the country.
Many EU laws kept on after Brexit were agreed as a messy compromise between 28 different EU member states and often did not reflect the UK’s own priorities or objectives – nor did many receive sufficient scrutiny in our democratic institutions.
Having regained our independence, we can now ensure that our regulations are tailor-made to the UK’s own needs. However, under current rules, reforming and repealing this pipeline of outdated EU law would take several years because of the need for primary legislation for many changes, even if minor and technical.
The new legislation will ensure that changes can be made more easily, so that the UK can capitalise on Brexit freedoms more quickly.
The Bill is also expected to end the special status that EU law still enjoys in our legal framework. Despite our exit from the bloc, EU laws made before 1 January 2020 continue to have precedence in our domestic framework. This is simply not compatible with our status as a sovereign, independent country and the government will bring it to an end as quickly as possible.
Officials across government are currently reviewing all EU retained laws to determine if they are beneficial to the UK. It is right that people know how much EU-derived law there is and how much progress government is making to reform it, so the government will make this catalogue public in due course.
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said: “Getting Brexit Done two years ago today was a truly historic moment and the start of an exciting new chapter for our country.
“We have made huge strides since then to capitalise on our newfound freedoms and restore the UK’s status as a sovereign, independent country that can determine its own future.
“The plans we have set out today will further unleash the benefits of Brexit and ensure that businesses can spend more of their money investing, innovating and creating jobs.
“Our new Brexit Freedoms Bill will end the special status of EU law in our legal framework and ensure that we can more easily amend or remove outdated EU law in future”.
The Attorney General, Suella Braverman, said: “Setting up a mechanism to deal with these legacy EU rules is essential. It underpins our ability to grasp important opportunities provided by Brexit.
“It means we can move away from outdated EU laws that were the result of unsatisfactory compromises within the EU, some of which the UK voted and lobbied against – but was required to adopt without question.
“These rules often had limited meaningful parliamentary scrutiny, and no democratic legitimacy in the UK at all. It is vital that we take the steps necessary, in this Parliament, to remove unnecessary rules altogether, and where regulation is needed, ensure that it meets the UK’s objectives.
“This work is key to us taking charge of our regained sovereignty which the British people voted for in 2016 and 2019”.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Steve Barclay, said: “Leaving the EU has given us the opportunity to establish our own rules for how we live and govern our lives in Britain, from how our farmers are funded, our data is managed to unlock more innovation, and our public procurement spent in ways that unlocks greater social value.
“These reforms will cut £1 billion of EU red tape for businesses and provide them with exciting new opportunities to flourish.
“The Brexit Freedoms Bill will continue to make it easier to remove cumbersome EU laws which were initially retained to ease our transition but which do not meet the future needs of the UK.”
Alongside today’s announcement, a new policy document ‘The Benefits of Brexit: how the UK is taking advantage of leaving the EU’ will set out how the government is using new freedoms in different sectors to transform the UK into the best regulated economy in the world.
From artificial intelligence and gene editing to the future of transport and data protection, these reforms will create a new pro-growth, high-standards regulatory framework that gives businesses the confidence to innovate, invest and create jobs. This includes:
Data and AI – moving in a faster, more agile way to regulate new digital markets and AI and creating a more proportionate and less burdensome data rights regime compared to the EU’s GDPR.
Infrastructure and Levelling Up – modernising outdated vehicle standards, improving public procurement so that we can more easily exclude poorly performing suppliers and enhancing our public health system by reforming clinical trials and medical devices legislation.
Climate, the Environment and Agriculture – reforming our environmental regulation, 80% of which came from the EU, to deliver cleaner air, create new habitats, and reduce waste, while changing the rules on gene edited organisms, to enable more sustainable and efficient farming.
Business and Industry – establishing a domestic subsidy control regime to allow us to better support the UK economy, taking an ambitious approach in financial services areas previously regulated by the EU and simplifying unnecessary reporting burdens for small and medium-sized companies.
Global Britain – making the most of an unprecedented opportunity to forge new alliances and strengthen our partnerships around the world. The interests of the British people now lie at the heart of everything we do around the world – from our trade policy to our sanctions policy.
The government’s recent Plan for Growth sets out how our approach to regulation is changing to focus on delivering growth and innovation. In support of these objectives, the Government has today set out five new regulatory principles to further guide that approach.
Today’s announcement also builds on the ‘significant progress’ already made since the UK delivered Brexit on 31 January 2020, including:
Ending free movement and taken back control of our borders – replacing freedom of movement with a points-based immigration system and making it easier to kick out foreign criminals.
Securing the vaccine rollout – streamlining procurement processes and avoiding cumbersome EU bureaucracy to deliver the fastest vaccine rollout anywhere in Europe last year.
Striking new free trade deals – with over 70 countries including landmark deals with Australia and New Zealand. We have also launched negotiations on a trade deal with India – a market of 1.4 billion people.
Cutting back on EU red tape – including ending the Tampon Tax and simplifying complex EU alcohol duty rates.
Strengthening our standards – allowing the UK to go further than the EU and set improved environmental, animal welfare and product safety standards.
Scotland’s leading pro-European campaigning body, the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS), has underlined its cross-party credentials by choosing a former SNP cabinet secretary and a former Conservative MEP as its new honorary presidents.
Mike Russell, MSP until May this year and former Scottish Government cabinet secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs, and John Purvis, a Tory MEP for 15 years, jointly take over the post bequeathed to them by (Lord) Ming Campbell, the LibDem peer.
They were unanimously confirmed in their new posts at the EMiS annual general meeting in Edinburgh which reaffirmed its commitment to Scotland rejoining the European Union as soon as possible – whether in its own right as an independent state or as part of the UK. As a non-party/cross-party body EMiS is neutral on Scottish independence.
Separately, EMiS is to launch a campaign for Scotland and/or the UK to rejoin the single market and customs union as the devastating economic and social effects of Brexit are revealed daily.
Philippa Whitford MP, SNP Commons spokesman on Europe (and health);
David Broucher, a former UK diplomat/ambassador in, among other places, Bonn and Prague;
Peter Sellar, an EU lawyer specialising in regulatory affairs and author of a paper on this topic for the Scottish Independence Convention.
David Clarke, Vice-Chair of EMiS commented: “Our choice of new Honorary Presidents underlines the cross-party consensus in Scotland for rejoining the European Union, with membership of the single market and customs union a first stage.
“John Purvis is a long-standing Conservative with deep roots in the EU and European financial services, while Mike Russell’s commitment to Europe as an SNP politician, minister and thinker is unmatched. Our campaign to rejoin the EU steps up a gear with our latest webinar on 8th December and throughout 2022.”
