Uk Government Blocked Bottle Return Scheme To Give Snp A 'black Eye', Court Told - Beritaja

A UK authorities curate blocked Scotland's vessel return strategy successful bid to springiness the SNP a "black eye", a tribunal has been told.

Former information system curate Lorna Slater accused ex-Scottish caput Lord Alister Jack of acting successful "bad faith" erstwhile he refused to assistance an removal for solid bottles nether the Internal Market Act (IMA).

This determination led to the Scottish authorities changing its plans for its deposit return strategy (DRS) successful 2023.

A UK-wide DRS is planned but it is not expected to statesman earlier 2027.

Biffa Waste Services is suing the Scottish authorities astatine the Court of Session successful Edinburgh, seeking £166m of reparations complete the determination to hold the scheme.

Giving grounds connected Tuesday, Ms Slater said Lord Jack had "single-handedly undermined" the strategy utilizing what was efficaciously a ministerial veto.

The Scottish Greens MSP said: "Alister Jack saw a governmental opportunity - and relations betwixt the governments were not bully - to springiness the SNP a achromatic oculus and to undermine my credibility, because he could.

"He had effective powerfulness of veto to the Scottish DRS."

Read more:
Lorna Slater gave 'emphatic' assurance about DRS, tribunal told
Scottish authorities 'utterly irresponsible' complete DRS, tribunal hears

Giving grounds past week, Lord Jack dismissed the proposal his concerns were politically motivated, insisting it was "beholden" to him arsenic Scottish caput to "ensure our businesses and our consumers were protected".

Ms Slater, erstwhile co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said her authorities had been group an "impossible" information successful narration to the deposit level to beryllium applied to containers covered by the DRS.

She said that successful negotiations complete the removal successful early 2023, the UK authorities had said the level successful the Scottish strategy needed to lucifer that of the UK scheme.

However, she said the UK level had not been group yet.

"The UK authorities were mounting a information connected the Scottish authorities that the Scottish authorities could not perchance meet," she said.

She added that her authorities had not "anticipated" that the UK authorities would usage the IMA to artifact a strategy that each 4 nations were moving to implement, and which had been group retired successful the 2019 UK Conservative Party manifesto.

The proceeding continues.