Nicola Sturgeon’s independence plans would create “unnecessary barriers” to trade for Scottish farmers operating within the UK, the Scottish Conservatives have said today.
Scotland Minister Colin Clark (pictured) made the comments during a visit to a farm in Aberdeenshire.
The SNP has put staging a second vote on breaking up Britain at the heart of its general election campaign.
Mr Clark said Scotland could face a situation where its biggest market, the rest of the UK, leaves the EU but Scotland re-joins the bloc as an independent state.
The candidate for the Gordon constituency also attacked the SNP for its repeated failure to back a withdrawal agreement – and in doing so making a ‘no deal’’ exit from the EU more likely.
NFU Scotland urged parliamentarians to vote for the deal negotiated by Boris Johnson in October.
Mr Clark said:
“Nicola Sturgeon has put a second independence referendum at the heart of this election campaign.
“What she doesn’t want to talk about is how separation will affect every sector of our economy – particularly our farmers.
“Breaking up the UK would create new and unnecessary barriers to trade within our biggest market.
“The last thing our food and drink sector needs right now is more uncertainty.
“Yet Nicola Sturgeon wants to hold not one, but two more referendums next year.
“Her MPs repeatedly voted against leaving the EU with a negotiated deal – making a chaotic ‘no deal’ Brexit more, not less likely.
“At this election, we have a chance to get Brexit sorted so that we can all move on.
“A vote for the Scottish Conservatives means we can end the division and delay and focus on the things that matter.”
