“Scotland has not voted for any of this and our position is clearer than ever,” said Nicola Sturgeon.
Photographer: Hollie Adams / Bloomberg
Photographer: Hollie Adams / Bloomberg
It is possible that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will promote his latest trade deal with Brexit, but in the coming months he is facing a battle with Scotland, which could also decide the future direction of the United Kingdom.
One hour after the announcement of an agreement with the European Union, it was reached on Thursday, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon quickly reaffirmed his call for a second vote to break with the three-century-old union with England and Wales.
“Before we start the rotation, it is worth remembering that Brexit is happening against the will of Scotland,” she wrote on Twitter. “There is no agreement to compensate for what Brexit takes from us.”
Photographer: Hollie Adams / Bloomberg
Scotland, which voted 62% to 38% to remain in the EU in 2016, is scheduled to hold elections for its decentralized legislature in Edinburgh in May. Polls suggest Sturgeon’s Scottish pro-independence national party could win a majority to strengthen it has pledged to hold a referendum on leaving the UK in the first part of the new parliament.
This would escalate the clash between London and Edinburgh, with Johnson so far refusing to sanction a second vote. Officials within his Conservative Party have already rung the alarm bell on Scotland and the need to counter the SNP.
The trade deal with the EU opens up “huge opportunities” for Scottish businesses, Scottish Secretary of State Alister Jack said on Thursday. It is unlikely to calm Scottish companies, which are already battling the coronavirus pandemic, according to Sturgeon.
“Scotland has not voted for 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 the benefits of EU membership.”