First Ministers of Scotland and Wales meet

4 Jun 2015 01:40 PM

Devolved nations agree to work together to protect human rights.

The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently met with First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones - and agreed the two nations would work together to fight the UK Government’s plans to repeal the Human Rights Act.

A joint statement issued by the two countries sets out:

The UK Government’s proposal to repeal the Human Rights Act sends out a message to the world that the UK is not a place that prioritises and respects international standards in human rights. It is also clear that UK Ministers have given absolutely no thought to the implications of such a move for devolved government in the UK, with human rights being embedded in the devolution settlements of Wales and Scotland and in the Good Friday Agreement. Both our governments are fundamentally opposed to this regressive move and will do everything we can to resist it.

The two First Ministers are also both strongly committed to making a positive case for the UK to remain a member of the EU. The statement continues:

We believe that the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government have a positive contribution to make to the EU reform agenda, and call on the Prime Minister to take account of our views in any proposals for EU reform. We also believe that any referendum should include both EU nationals and 16/17 year olds.

Any decision to leave the EU, taken against the wishes of the people of Wales or Scotland, would be unacceptable and steps must be taken to ensure this does not happen.

Both nations are also committed to fighting the UK Government’s continued austerity agenda:

The UK Government’s proposals for continued austerity would mean huge and damaging cuts over the coming years, that will impact particularly on the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.

We call on the UK Government to reconsider its plans, to support economic growth and to ensure the poor and the vulnerable are protected.

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said:

“In Scotland we are proud of our stance on human rights – and I am clear that any reduction in current human rights safeguards will threaten fundamental freedoms to which everyone in a modern democratic society is entitled.

“I have already set out that we see the European Union as vital for our economy - and we will make an overwhelmingly positive case for continued membership. We also agreed that any decision to leave the EU, taken against the wishes of the people of Wales or Scotland, would be unacceptable and steps must be taken to ensure this does not happen.

“I am committed to working alongside Wales to fight any abolition of the Human Rights Act, protect our membership of the EU and work together to ensure that the UK Government listens to the views of the devolved administrations.”

First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones said:

“It would be wholly wrong to change the constitutions of Wales and Scotland by repealing the Human Rights Act without the consent of the two countries.

“I am also concerned of the effect on Wales if there was a vote to leave the EU but Wales voted to stay.

“It was useful to discuss the constitutional effects on both Wales and Scotland of a potential UK exit, without support in the four nations.”

Notes To Editors

As devolved governments within the UK we share a common interest in the implementation of UK Government policies which impact on our devolved responsibilities and competencies. Given the Prime Minister’s commitment in the Queen’s Speech to work in cooperation with the devolved administrations on the basis of mutual respect, his government must respect the mandate that the people of Scotland and Wales have given us and the governments we represent.

This must be clearly demonstrated through meaningful reform of the current inter-governmental machinery of the UK to ensure the devolved administrations are treated as equal partners. This would ensure we are consulted at an early stage, including on UK Government policies that will impact on devolved services, and on international actions – particularly in the EU. A renewed dispute resolution process must be established that is more equitable and which strengthens the role of independent expertise and assistance.

The UK Government’s proposal to repeal the Human Rights Act sends out a message to the world that the UK is not a place that prioritises and respects international standards in human rights. It is also clear that UK Ministers has given absolutely no thought to the implications of such a move for devolved government in the UK, with the Act being embedded in the devolution settlements of Wales and Scotland and in the Good Friday Agreement. Both our governments are fundamentally opposed to this regressive move and will do everything we can to resist it.

Constitutional reform will continue to be a significant issue for both Wales and Scotland in the period ahead. The Scottish Government and Welsh Government must be given a leading role in shaping the legislation that will implement the proposals of the Smith Commission and Silk Commission respectively. This will ensure that the current inadequate proposals from the UK Government can be brought into line as a minimum with the spirit and substance of the respective commissions. Where the people of Scotland and Wales have demonstrated a demand for greater powers it is incumbent on the UK government to respect those views.

The UK Government’s proposals for continued austerity would mean huge and damaging cuts over the coming years, that will impact particularly on the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. Both the Scottish Government and Welsh Government believe the UK Government can meet its fiscal mandate without imposing damaging cuts to spending and on social security currently proposed. We call on the UK Government to reconsider its plans, to support economic growth and to ensure the poor and the vulnerable are protected.

EU membership is of huge benefit to Wales and Scotland, with around 480,000 jobs across both countries dependent on our exports to the single market [i]. We are therefore both strongly committed to making a positive case for the UK to remain a member of the EU. We also believe that the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government have a positive contribution to make to the EU reform agenda, and call on the Prime Minister to take account of our views in any proposals for EU reform. We share a belief that in the event of a referendum on EU membership it must meet the highest possible standards of transparency and inclusivity. As such we believe that any referendum should include both EU nationals and 16/17 year olds and that no referendum should take place on the same day as elections to devolved legislatures.

Any decision to leave the EU, taken against the wishes of the people of Wales or Scotland, would be unacceptable and steps must be taken to ensure this does not happen.

Jobs figures references:

http://www.cebr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/UK-jobs-dependent-on-exports-to-the-EU.pdf

http://wefo.wales.gov.uk/news/latest/120509europecrucial/?lang=en