Donald McKay, Leader of UKIP Scotland, is pleased with the Internal Market Bill passed in the House of Commons this week, as it gives back control to the UK over certain domains that was stripped under the Withdrawal Agreement.
Sputnik: What was your reaction to the Internal Market Bill passing through parliament?
Donald McKay: Well, I think it highlights the fact that the original withdrawal agreement was flawed. UKIP have long argued for a no-deal Brexit. I think this is justified because the withdrawal agreement actually had, in article 4, a provision that the withdrawal treaty takes legal precedence over anything in the UK is domestic law. No government should have passed or signed a Treaty of that sort. So in a sense, the chickens are coming home to roost and what we see is the UK taking control of those things, which it should take control over. So I'm very much pleased that this has happened. I think it's a good thing. I hope that the internal market bill becomes law.
Sputnik: The SNP have claimed that the Internal Market Bill could take powers from the Scottish Government, do you think this is the case?
Donald McKay: Well, I hope it does! UKIP'S policy is to get rid of the Scottish Parliament, which we believe serves no purpose and is nothing more than a glorified and expensive form of local government. I welcome anything that diminishes and ultimately abolishes the Scottish Parliament since that's our policy. It's very expensive we've got a First Minister that earns more than the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom which is a dreadful situation in itself. So yes, I hope that it does damage the devolved parliament. We would like to see it disappear.
Sputnik: Do you think that Boris Johnson still wants a deal with the EU?
Donald McKay: Well, it's difficult to know because politics is such a sophisticated game that people don't always want what they appear to give the impression they want. It has long been UKIP policy that we leave on WTO terms, that we leave without a deal. This might actually happen, although it looked as if it wasn't going to happen, but it might actually happen. I would suspect that there will be something cobbled up before the 31st of December.
The United Kingdom should be completely relaxed about the prospect of leaving the European Union with no deal whatsoever. That is a good thing. I think it's possible that it may happen but it's likely that if it does happen, it will happen by default rather than because of any strategy. So I'm not sure that the British government wants to leave the EU at all. Far less leave without any Deal but it may be that that's what happens because of the fairly complicated negotiations that have been taking place over the last two years. I welcome it, I hope we do leave without a deal. We don't need a deal. We are an independent sovereign state, and we shouldn't recognise any authority above our own.
