The SNP has said the leader of the anti-independence campaign must explain today [Tuesday] why he has negotiated what he calls “the best of both worlds” for Northern Ireland while subjecting Scotland to a disastrous no deal or low deal Brexit.
Senior Tories Ruth Davidson and David Mundell previously said they could not support any Brexit deal that introduces different arrangements for Northern Ireland, and would be prepared to resign if Northern Ireland was given special arrangements which differ from Scotland.
Former Tory Constitution spokesperson, Adam Tomkins, also warned that “what goes for Northern Ireland must go for Scotland also.
“In particular there can be no separate Brexit deal for each of the nations that comprise the United Kingdom.”
Ahead of Michael Gove’s appearance at Holyrood’s Europe committee today [Tuesday], the SNP has said that Scotland, alone of the UK nations, has been left with no democratic say over its future relationship with Europe.
Kenneth Gibson MSP, who is a member of the committee, said:
“Scotland is the only country in the UK that’s being dragged out of the EU against our will and given no say over our future relationship with Europe.
“England and Wales both voted to leave and are leaving. Northern Ireland voted to remain and is getting a special deal.
“But Scotland, with the highest remain vote of any UK nation, is to get a disastrous no deal or low deal Brexit.
“That is democratically unacceptable and makes a complete mockery of claims the UK is a partnership of equals.
“Michael Gove has the perfect opportunity today to explain why his Tory colleagues were adamant that neither Scotland nor Northern Ireland should get a special deal yet Northern Ireland is now to have, in his own words, the “best of both worlds,” and Scotland, which voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, is not.
“We completely understand the situation in Northern Ireland and a new border must not be created on the island of Ireland, but Scotland must not be placed at a competitive disadvantage.
“The Tory leadership said they would resign if that was to happen, so let’s see if they are true to their word.
“Scotland’s future should lie in Scotland’s hands – not Boris Johnson and his band of Brexiteers, who simply cannot be trusted to stand up for our Parliament and protect Scotland from the effects of a hard Brexit, which we didn’t vote for.”
