2020 c 27 - United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 accountancydaily.co - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from accountancydaily.co Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
THE United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 is the third Westminster statute to be passed since 2018 in the face of an explicit refusal of consent (under the Sewel Convention) by one or more of the devolved legislatures. The Act establishes a new legal framework to minimise the impact on trade within the UK arising from potential regulatory divergence between Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland after the Brexit transition period ends. The House of Lords Constitution Committee described the Bill as “one of profound constitutional significance” for the UK’s devolution arrangements, and regretted the lack of engagement with the devolved governments in developing the proposals. Both the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) voted to refuse consent to the Bill, and although no formal legislative consent motion was lodged in the Northern Ireland Assembly, in September the Assembly also approved an SDLP motion to reject it.
UK Internal Market Bill becomes law
New laws to protect jobs and trade across the whole of the United Kingdom will come into force from 1 January 2021.
From:
17 December 2020
The UK Internal Market Act – which has today (Thursday 17 December) received Royal Assent – will protect businesses, jobs and livelihoods by ensuring there are no harmful new barriers to trade between all parts of the UK.
This means that from 1 January businesses can continue to trade seamlessly across all 4 parts of the UK, as they have done for centuries, and ensures the UK’s world-leading standards for consumers and workers are maintained, including for food and the environment.