THE Scottish Government will today seek “cast-iron proof” that Boris Johnson is truly trying to get a deal on Brexit, rather than secretly engineering a no-deal exit.
SNP Brexit Secretary Michael Russell will put the question to his counterparts in London today at the cross-border Joint Ministerial Committee on Europe.
When former Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd resigned from the cabinet and gave up the Tory whip on Saturday, she said there were no genuine negotiations taking place.
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“I no longer believe leaving with a deal is the Government’s main objective,” she said.
“The Government is expending a lot of energy to prepare for ‘no deal’ but I have not seen the same level of intensity go into our talks with the European Union, who have asked us to present alternative arrangements to the Irish backstop.”
She later claimed 80-90 per cent of government effort was going into no-deal planning, rather than seeking agreement with the other 27 EU nations.
Mr Russell said it was a “very serious allegation”.
He said: “We now need cast-iron proof that the UK Government is not pursuing a no-deal outcome.
“I will be very interested to hear any evidence from the UK Government of the progress of their talks with the EU, their quantity and quality, what position it took in these talks, and whether any substantial progress has been made.
“This meeting will also be an opportunity to underline our grave concern about the lack of information being shared with us under the UK Government’s no-deal planning structures.
“I will also be making it crystal clear that the Scottish Government stands against any form of Brexit, and is firmly in opposition to a calamitous no-deal Brexit, under any circumstances.”
Cabinet office minister Michael Gove, who will co-chair the meeting with Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, said it would discuss preparedness for Brexit and EU negotiations.
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He said: “The UK Government is working energetically so that we can leave the EU with a deal on October 31st, though any deal will require movement from the EU. Our preparations for leaving, with or without a deal, have been accelerated over the past couple of months and we have worked closely with the devolved administrations to ensure that all parts of the UK are ready to leave the EU.
‘I am committed to working closely with colleagues across the UK to tackle some of the challenges that still remain. I am confident that with continued hard work and collaboration we can continue to make further progress in the weeks ahead.”
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