“Scotland did not vote on any of this and our position is clearer than ever,” Nicola Sturgeon said.
Photographer: Hollie Adams / Bloomberg
Photographer: Hollie Adams / Bloomberg
Prime Minister Boris Johnson could defend his last-minute trade deal on Brexit, but faces a battle with Scotland in the coming months that could also decide the future direction of the UK.
Announcing an agreement with the European Union on Thursday, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon quickly reaffirmed her demand for a second vote to break away from the three-century union with England and Wales. the.
“Before the turnaround begins, it’s worth remembering that Brexit is taking place against Scotland’s will,” he wrote on Twitter. “There is no agreement to make up for what Brexit takes away from us.”
Photographer: Hollie Adams / Bloomberg
Scotland, which voted between 62% and 38% to remain in the EU in 2016, plans to hold elections to its decentralized legislature in Edinburgh in May. Polls suggest Scottish Sturgeon’s pro-independence national party could win a majority that would strengthen it they pledge to hold a referendum on the UK’s exit from the first part of the new parliament.
This would increase the clash between London and Edinburgh, with Johnson so far refusing to sanction a second ballot. Officials from his Conservative party have already sounded the alarm in Scotland and the need to counter the SNP.
The trade deal with the EU opens up “huge opportunities” for Scottish companies, Scottish Secretary of State Alister Jack said on Thursday. Scottish companies, which are already struggling under the burden of the coronavirus pandemic, are unlikely to be appeased, according to Sturgeon.
“Scotland did not vote on any of this and our position is clearer than ever,” Sturgeon said. “Scotland now has the right to choose its own future as an independent country and regain once again the benefits of EU membership.”