Destruction of the Union: too high a price to pay for a US trade agreement

The importance of EU rules to maintaining open borders within Ireland has been at the centre of UK and EU negotiations. Yet what is less appreciated is the significance of those rules for achieving frictionless trade between England, Scotland and Wales. As well as the possibility of new border trade barriers inside the UK, leaving the EU also opens up questions about how – and whether – the devolved nations will unite with England on external trade agreements. This is especially true with respect to the relationship between England and Scotland, for two reasons. First, a US trade negotiation would likely require changes to UK domestic legislation that Scotland, with its desire to maintain alignment with EU regulation, would oppose. Second, there is no overarching legal framework in place to preserve the UK internal market, and negotiations to achieve this have stalled. Thus a renewed effort is badly needed to establish effective collaboration between the administrations of the four nations, which includes at a minimum giving them a stronger role in trade negotiations, strengthening ongoing cooperation and providing legislative guarantees that environmental and consumer protections won’t be reduced if and when the UK leaves the EU