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Business News Wales
17-07-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Updated Rules 'Will Benefit Trade Between UK Nations'
Businesses trading across the UK's four nations will benefit from clearer and more certain rules, following government changes to how the UK Internal Market Act works. Following extensive feedback from businesses – including calls for greater clarity, consistency, and collaboration – the UK Government has completed a review of the Act ahead of schedule. The updated approach enables devolved governments to shape laws which align with their own priorities. A transparent and well-managed internal market will help to minimise the risk of unnecessary trade barriers, says the UK Government. Protecting the environment and public health will be taken into account alongside economic factors when a government proposes excluding an area from the UK Internal Market Act. In addition, if a proposed change has only a limited economic impact, this can now be agreed through a streamlined process. This updated approach will better enable all four governments to agree shared rules across a wide range of areas including chemicals and pesticides and provide more flexibility to legislate, the UK Government said. Minister for Trade Policy Douglas Alexander said: 'A thriving internal market is essential to the UK's economic success, so we've listened to what businesses want — and we're acting ahead of schedule. 'These reforms will keep trade flowing, reduce friction, and unlock growth across all four nations. 'We've also worked closely with devolved governments to ensure they can deliver on their priorities.' Jane Gratton, Deputy Director of Public Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 'Trade between the nations of the UK is vital to the health of our overall economy and a key driver of growth. Businesses want to see devolved and UK governments working together to ensure there are no unnecessary barriers to the flows of goods and services between us. 'The UK Internal Market Act is key to this, setting the foundations which underpin over £100bn of trade. This new streamlined approach to rulemaking will give businesses the certainty they need so they can grow, invest, and prosper.' The UK internal market supported over £129 billion of trade between the four nations in 2019 — equivalent to around 6% of the UK economy. For Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, sales to the rest of the UK make up a major share of their external sales — typically around 60%.
Business Standard
15-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
GBPUSD off two-week low on business reforms, FTSE hits 9000 for first time
British Pound edged up from a three-week low. GBPUSD pair currently trades at 1.3460, up 0.17% on the day. UK Government noted that new changes to how the UK Internal Market Act works to benefit businesses. On NSE, GBP/INR futures are down 0.54% at 115.81 right now but saw repeated support around Rs 115.50 mark. UKs new reforms will ensure businesses can trade smoothly across the UKs four nations, helping them operate more efficiently and with greater certainty. Changes respond directly to business feedback and are a key part of the governments Plan for Change to unlock investment and jobs, raise living standards and drive long-term growth. UKs FTSE 100 share index soared to 9000 points for the first time following this.
The National
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Clearly now is the time for the SNP to ‘seize the moment'
The UK Internal Market Act was deliberately introduced to take even more control away from the Scottish Parliament, and even in the devolved area of fishing the UK Government made an agreement with the EU without consultation with the Scottish Government. The UK Government, whichever party is in power, will continue to tighten the Union straitjacket whenever the Scottish Government is perceived to be performing relatively well, while the UK mainstream media will continue to denigrate any progress made by an SNP-led Scottish Government. READ MORE: Remember Alex Salmond gained indyref on the basis of an SNP majority Therefore, the reality is that we are increasingly unlikely to be able to achieve independence through the route of good devolved governance, although obviously the Scottish Government must continually strive to do the best it can within the constraints of broken Brexit Britain. Of course Seamus is correct to state that we will only achieve independence when 'enough people actually want it' (although I would not have added the qualifying clause 'and want it badly enough', as this wrongly suggests that we need the majority of the population to become independence activists) and to state that 'we shouldn't just wait for independence to somehow fall into our laps'. However, instead of relying on good governance at Holyrood to take us forward, ways must be found to inspire the public sufficiently to first get out and vote and secondly to express their desire for fundamental change through a vote for an independence party rather than for cosmetic change or fake reform. READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: The Scottish Government should be fighting for zonal pricing Even if there is scepticism about the value of plebiscites as de facto referendums, there is value in independence parties committing to a common manifesto goal of having the Scottish Parliament given legislative authority to conduct a constitutional referendum, and if such a mandate is denied then using that undemocratic action of the UK Government to bolster support for independence expressed through a de facto referendum at the next UK General Election (backed up by clear steps to ensure that the expressed wish of the people of Scotland will be fulfilled). Instead of turning the majority of the electorate into political activists, we must inspire more people to reject the constitutional status quo through realising that only independence will deliver 'real change'. While I do not agree that the SNP have had the number of genuine opportunities over the last decade to deliver independence that some have suggested, the fact that all the UK political parties, even the Tories and Labour, now admit that Britain is broken while UK foreign policy is seen to reflect past imperialism with little regard for human suffering (even where the UK continues to be complicit in causing that suffering, such as with the carnage in Gaza) indicates that now is the time, especially with support for independence consistently around 50% in the polls even without national independence campaigning, for the SNP to 'seize the moment'. If the SNP message to the public is to patiently wait for good governance at Holyrood to be established and acknowledged, then voters will likely vote instead for 'fake reform' even if they believe the Scottish Parliament should be enabled to conduct a constitutional referendum and suspect that the reform offered is just another Farage mirage. Stan Grodynski Longniddry, East Lothian JUST finished reading the article by Graeme McGarry, ''Common sense' to lift outdated booze ban – football fans won't let side down' (Jul 9) about the 'alcohol trials' at Ayr FC. What an absolute joke! The 'authorities' are going to trial something as serious as selling alcohol at football matches and the decision is going to be based on a 'diddy club' (sorry, Ayr FC, but you're not in the 'major league' when it comes to attendances at matches. READ MORE: Alcohol to be sold at Ayr United stadium for first time Alcohol is currently available at football matches but in specified areas only. I'm sure if you wanted to take a real and possibly more accurate 'sample' then Aberdeen, Celtic, Hearts, Hibs and Rangers could provide you with all the evidence from their current hospitality suites. The current football administrators in Scotland (SFA/SPFL) are an embarrassment to the game if they think a 'two-bob club' such as Ayr FC will be reflective of what will happen on a weekly basis throughout the season. To take a sample so small from what is proposed, maybe 1% of the football attendees on any given Saturday/Sunday, surely can't be considered 'typical or reflective' of what is 'normal'. There isn't a business in the world that would operate on this basis and expect to remain in business. I agree the first rule in management is 'if you can measure it, you can manage it' but this proposal is akin to using a 12-inch rule to measure the distance from Lands End to John o' Groats. In short, 'utterly ridiculous'. Get serious about resuming alcohol sales at football matches. Jim Todd Cumbernauld
The National
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
New polls showing rising support for independence are revealing
It is encouraging, but more than that – it's revealing. Something is shifting and people are starting to see clearly what many of us have felt for a long time: that Scotland is not an equal partner in this so-called Union. That our democracy can be dismissed, delayed and diluted by powers we didn't vote for. But if this is the result when the public see a glimmer of what's happening, imagine if we exposed it all, with front and centre headlines. When people in Scotland vote for one party and end up governed by another, that alone tells a story. When we have more MPs in London than we do in the whole of Scotland. When we vote to remain in the European Union and were dragged out regardless, the message couldn't be clearer. And now, when some placed their hopes in a Labour revival, they've been met with a reheated version of Tory policy but faster and with fewer apologies. These moments aren't just disappointing, they're disempowering and hopefully more people are beginning to join the dots. At Holyrood, I'm there to debate, to challenge, to listen, and to shape real change for the people who sent me. All of us are elected by people in Scotland to work for Scotland. READ MORE: John Curtice gives verdict as poll predicts huge pro-independence majority And while devolution has let us do a great deal of good, we're constantly forced to do it within boundaries we didn't choose. We legislate with purpose, often with broad support, only to see our decisions picked apart or even blocked entirely. We saw it with the use of Section 35. We saw it in the Supreme Court ruling that forced changes to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act, despite it passing unanimously in the Scottish Parliament. And now again in another court ruling that has significant implications for how we apply equality-based policy here in Scotland. We debate. We vote. We pass the law. And then we wait to see if the UK institutions will let it stand. This is the kind of erosion that people don't always see unless they're looking closely. Take the UK Internal Market Act. It didn't come with flashy headlines, but it has had serious consequences. It means that even when the Scottish Parliament takes decisions in devolved areas, such as banning single-use plastics, we can be told we have to accept goods from elsewhere in the UK that don't meet our standards. It locks us into Westminster's way of doing things, even when we are trying to do something better. And while we're constantly fighting to hold on to our ability to make decisions, we're also doing the hard work of using those devolved powers to improve people's lives. We've introduced world-leading policies such as the Scottish Child Payment. We've made period products free to access via local authorities. We brought in minimum alcohol pricing to save lives. We've prioritised housing, climate action, and progressive taxation. And now, the Scottish Government has committed to removing the two-child benefit cap in Scotland, which has punished families for too long. That's a massive step forward. But even as we move in that direction, we're still doing it within the confines of a UK system that could snatch that power away again if it suits it. So much of what we do now is about mitigating the damage caused elsewhere. We protect people from the worst of Westminster's decisions, while trying to build something better. But how much further could we go, how much faster, if we weren't constantly having to shield people from policies we didn't vote for? Brexit, too, continues to hit economy. We see the impact every day, in labour shortages, rising costs and disrupted trade. My constituency, with its proud fishing and farming industries, knows the cost of that vote better than most. And for what? We're still waiting to see any benefit. We've seen how powerful devolution can be, but what we're consistently seeing now isn't protection of our devolution by the UK, it's erosion. It's slow but very deliberate. I see it in the Parliament from our Unionist MSPs. A disdain by some for our political institution. Step by step, they are chipping away at Scotland's ability to make its own choices. Just as we make headway, there's that pull on our collar to get back in our box. And yes, I know that in any democracy, we won't always agree with every decision made. That's the deal. But true democracy means having the right to make those decisions in the first place, and for those decisions to be ours, not made or unmade by a government we didn't elect or a judiciary that is not wholly ours. If only that were the front-page story across the country, that Scotland has passed good, progressive, compassionate laws, only to be told they can't be implemented. If only more people knew how often we're overruled. I wonder how it would feel across civic society if that truth were told more clearly, instead of being buried beneath 'SNP bad' headlines and recycled outrage. Because the truth is, we have the proof. We've lived the consequences. And we're now seeing, through polling, that people are beginning to connect those dots. We need to bring this specific conversation to doorsteps and living rooms, and community halls. Not to win an argument, but to let people see clearly what's happening. Because if Scotland's Parliament was fully respected and free to act on the will of the people, we wouldn't just be mitigating harm. We'd be building the country we know we can be. We shouldn't be overruled, we shouldn't be content to allow it, and we shouldn't stay quiet about it either.
