Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotland

Click on the above.

Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04  Account - 12266421 Name - JOHN ROBERTSON

The Ferret reveals today:

A Ferret investigation has found there was no registration to sell vapes at the Union Street premises in Glasgow where a major fire started – and we can reveal the name of the company behind the shop. https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-company-behind-vape-shop-fire-had-not-paying-business-rates-or-registered-to-sell-vapes/

Can Scotland do anything about these clearly dangerous sales from high street shops in areas frequented by the vulnerable, the very young and the elderly?

No.

Why?

The United Kingdom Internal Market 2020 legislation was designed to make sure that no part of the UK could impede the sale of products approved of by the UK Government in England, to other parts of the UK. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/27/section/1

As a result, here’s what would happen, or not really happen, here:

If Scotland introduced stricter rules, those rules would typically not apply to identical products imported from England — unless an exclusion from UKIMA is granted.

This creates a “lowest common denominator” effect: Scottish rules could be undermined by goods from elsewhere in the UK internal market, reducing their impact and potentially disadvantaging Scottish businesses.

Other was in which UKIMA has been bad for Scotland:

The Deposit Return Scheme (bottle deposit recycling) collapsed partly due to UKIMA concerns, as exclusions were rejected initially, preventing Scotland from enforcing its scheme without goods from England bypassing it. https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/07/21/thomas-horsley-reforming-the-uk-internal-market-the-uk-governments-response-to-the-review-of-the-united-kingdom-internal-market-act-2020

Proposals for bans or restrictions (e.g., on glue traps for rodents, fireworks for animal welfare, or certain products) face hurdles, with exclusions hard to secure. https://www.gov.scot/news/ban-on-the-sale-and-possession-of-rodent-glue-traps https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-animal-welfare-commission-lower-noise-fireworks-and-other-alternatives-to-reduce-harm-to-animals/pages/sawc-response-1-september-2025

Broader concerns in environmental policy, public health (e.g., alcohol/tobacco/vaping innovations), and animal welfare, where divergence could be blocked or diluted. https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_1114828_smxx.pdf

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotland

Click on the above.

Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04  Account - 12266421 Name - JOHN ROBERTSON