Good morning,

I hope you are able to enjoy your bank holiday as much as possible in these unprecedented times. This week we look at calls for greater scrutiny of the future relationship trade negotiations. The Welsh Assembly is no more! It is now a Parliament. If you have Brexit questions we have Brexit Answers! Next week is our Q&A session on disability rights and Brexit, and the replacement of EU funding. Finally we have some recommended reading for your bank holiday weekend.

Enjoy,
Jacob

In Politics

Questions Over Brexit Scrutiny

Labour Shadow Minister for Brexit and EU negotiations calls for improved scrutiny of future relationship negotiations
Michael Gove rules out extending the transition period
Continue to be significant questions about the expected outcome of future relationships talks

At the end of last week the Labour Shadow Brexit and EU Negotiations Minister, Paul Blomfield wrote to Michael Gove calling for improved parliamentary accountability on the Brexit negotiations. As Blomfield outlines, the Prime Minister has previously said that Parliament would be kept ‘fully informed of the progress of these negotiations’. During phase one of the Brexit negotiations, the PM or the then Secretary of State for the Department of Exiting the European Union, reported to Parliament in person after each negotiating round.

In his letter, Blomfield outlines that despite two rounds of negotiations and a meeting of the EU-UK Joint Committee, no in person reporting in Parliament has been made since February. He also rightly highlights that neither written ministerial statements nor appearing in front of a select committee provide the same level of scrutiny as a Minister updating the House of Commons in person. Neither allows for full engagement by MPs and by extension constituents and civil society.

This week Gove did appear in front of the Commons, though as part of Cabinet Office questions rather than a specific update on the negotiations, where several MP’s asked for an update to the negotiations. Gove confirmed the next round of negotiations is planned for the week starting 11th May. In response to questions about an extension to the transition period due to COVID-19 Gove stated that ‘the [UK] Government are not going to extend the transition period’.

When asked about the prospect of preventing a no-deal Brexit at the end of the transition period Gove failed to answer. Instead, he claimed that there would be no no-deal because ‘we have a deal, and that deal was legislated for’, referencing the Withdrawal Agreement rather than the prospect of leaving the transition period without an agreed future relationship. This raises deep concerns that the UK Government is not taking the prospect of the UK exiting the transition period without a deal seriously. The impacts on civil society of leaving without a future relationship agreed between the UK and the EU could be wide-ranging as highlighted in an open letter to the PM last August.

There continue to be significant questions about the Government's approach to the negotiations, in regards to involving MPs, civil society, and business. The lack of scrutiny and accountability in Parliament is problematic and exclusionary. Furthermore, it leads to confusion as to what the Government is planning to do in the future. If there is no agreement achieved between the UK and the EU and a no-deal exit is to occur then civil society needs to prepare. Confusing responses conflating two different stages of Brexit to MPs by Gove does not enlighten civil society as to what might be coming in December and therefore does not enable the sector to plan ahead in what is already an unprecedented difficult time due to COVID-19.

In Policy

Welsh Parliament

The Welsh Assembly is now called the Welsh Parliament
Name change to reflect its constitutional status
Assembly Members now called Members of the Senedd (MS)

In devolution news, this week the National Assembly of Wales became the Senedd Cymru or the Welsh Parliament. This change in name has been coming for a while and is primarily to reflect the powers the body has as a national Parliament.

The Assembly consulted with members of the public on whether they would back a change in name, and they did. This is also reflected by the results of the 2011 devolution referendum where Wales voted, 63% to 37%, to give the Assembly greater law-making powers.

The change of name to Senedd Cymru means that Assembly Members are no more! Legislators are now named Members of the Senedd abbreviated as MS.

This is a piece of nice news for Wales and devolution in these difficult times. Nation.Cymru has an interesting write up of it with more detailed information. While the House of Commons Library also goes into the background detail here.

In Events

Brexit Answers!

Our series of Q&A discussions covering key topics of Brexit policy and their impacts on civil society.

NEXT WEEK - Disability Rights and Brexit

Tuesday 12th May 10:00 to 11:30

Join the Shaw Trust and Inclusion Scotland to discover the impact of Brexit on disabled people’s rights. Find more information and free tickets here.

NEXT WEEK - Replacement of EU Funding - The UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Thursday 14th May 2020 10:00 to 11:30

Join Equally Ours and Wales Council for Voluntary Action to discover the future of funding and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Find more information and free tickets here.

Find the full programme of events on our website and free tickets for all of the sessions here.

Recommended Reading

Will the UK be ready for exit? Read our blog by Malene Bratlie.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Uncertain Times by Jane Thomas here.
Dr Brigid Fowler, Hansard Society, looks at how remote evidence sessions for select committees should be kept after Coronavirus here.
Unlock Democracy have launched ‘Page 48 Explained - The Conservative Party’s manifesto plans for our democracy’ download and read here
Deep dive into how Charities are on the brink of collapse by The Times social affairs editor Greg Hurst. Read it here.
Anoosh Chakelian, the New Statesman, looks at why Coronavirus is hitting ethnic minorities so hard here.
The UK is discriminating against EU citizens say MEPs in the Guardian
Directory of Social Change have updates on funding opportunities during Coronavirus here