Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP David Mundell said:
"I see the Internal Market Bill as being primarily about protecting the 545,000 jobs in Scotland that rely on trade within the UK and ensuring the unrestricted movement of goods across this country post-Brexit.
"That is why I voted in favour of it on Monday, allowing the bill to progress to committee stage where over the next two weeks MPs will be able to debate and vote on a range of amendments. Putting half a million jobs at risk in the middle of a pandemic is not an option, so my vote for the bill at this stage is a vote to make sure that safety net for Scottish jobs is there.
"To be clear, the Bill does not itself, if enacted in its current form, breach international law. A provision has been added to allow the Government to depart from the Withdrawal Agreement solely in respect of trading arrangements in Northern Ireland, ensuring the integrity of the UK internal market is not compromised, in the event of it not being possible for the UK to reach a trade deal with the EU.
"Obviously, that clause has and will come under a lot of scrutiny as the Bill passes through Parliament, but my hope remains that such a clause will be completely unnecessary, whatever the legal issues, because we reach an agreement with the EU."
