Nicola Sturgeon has written to the new Prime Minister saying it is now “essential” Scotland has an alternative option to his Brexit plan.
Boris Johnson went on record repeatedly during his campaign to reach Number 10, which culminated in a landslide victory, that Britain will leave the European Union on October 31 regardless of a deal being agreed.
Again in his first speech at Downing Street after meeting the Queen on Wednesday, he said there were “no ifs, no buts”.
The Scottish First Minister again congratulated Mr Johnson on his appointment but used her letter to reiterate the case for independence.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson insists UK can leave EU with deal at end of October
Ms Sturgeon said: “I am writing to you today to draw your attention to work carried out by the Scottish Government which details the likely specific impact of Brexit on Scotland.
“Given the gravity of the potential damage to jobs and livelihoods, this material should be at the top of your in-tray.
“You will be aware that people in Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the European Union. Subsequent Scottish Government analysis shows that a no-deal outcome could cost 100,000 Scottish jobs.
“Even a free trade agreement could see a fall in Scottish national income of around £1,600 per person compared with continuing EU membership.
“I urge you to study this analysis closely so that you understand the implications for Scotland of the policy you are pursuing on Brexit and why it is therefore imperative that you change course immediately to avoid causing lasting harm to the people of Scotland.
“However, given your public comments about leaving the EU on October 31 with or without a deal, ‘come what may’ and ‘do or die’, it is now – more than ever – essential that in Scotland we have an alternative option.
The Scottish Government have published a Bill which could potentially pave the way for a second vote, and Ms Sturgeon has already indicated a referendum could be held in the second half of next year.
But Mr Johnson has made clear his opposition to allowing another referendum when he visited Scotland during the Tory leadership campaign.
In her letter, Ms Sturgeon said: “In line with the democratic mandate given to us in 2016, the Scottish Government will continue to make preparations to give people in Scotland the choice of becoming an independent country.
“The right of the people of Scotland to determine their own future is a basic democratic principle that must be respected.
“Similarly any decision of the Scottish Parliament on whether to give people that choice must be respected.
READ MORE: SNP say Ruth Davidson ‘humiliated’ after David Mundell sacked against her advice
“The Parliament will consider the necessary framework legislation for a referendum after the summer recess, and I look forward to taking this matter forward with you once MSPs have had the opportunity to debate the issue further.”
David Mundell was sacked from his role as Scottish secretary as Mr Johnson made wide-ranging changes in his first Cabinet.
Ms Sturgeon also said in her letter she would “be shortly writing to you, along with the First Minister of Wales, to set out jointly our position on a range of urgent matters that require consideration by a meeting of the Heads of Government”.
She added: “Such a meeting should be convened as soon as possible.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel