Wales and Scotland make no deal Brexit warning

The First Ministers of Wales and Scotland have called on new Prime Minister Boris Johnson to rule out a no deal Brexit.

Outlining four steps the new Prime Minister can immediately take to establish a more productive relationship between the governments of the UK, the two leaders have also called for the UK government to prepare for a second EU referendum.

The four steps are: the need for the on-going Inter-governmental Relations Review to put in place more robust machinery for working together on the basis of greater equality; a commitment to full involvement of the devolved administrations in international negotiations, which impact on devolved competence; the UK government ensuring that Wales and Scotland would be no worse off if the UK does leave the EU; and the Immigration White Paper to be replaced by proposals, which reflect the needs of the economy of the whole of the UK.

In their letter, Mark Drakeford and Nicola Sturgeon say: “We are concerned that you have not ruled out leaving the European Union without a deal on 31 October. While we will continue to do everything we can to ensure we are as prepared as possible for this eventuality, there should be no doubt that the consequences would be catastrophic for all parts of the UK.

“It would be unconscionable for a UK government to contemplate a chaotic no deal exit and we urge you to reject this possibility clearly and unambiguously as soon as possible. We are also clear the decision about EU exit must now be put back to the people. It is the policy of both governments that the UK Parliament should legislate for a further referendum. If such a referendum is held we will argue strongly that the UK should remain in the EU.”