BROWN SAYS SCOTS WOULD VOTE NO AGAIN
Brown brands Johnson ‘out of touch’ but says poll would retain union
GORDON Brown has said he believes Scotland would not vote for independence but branded Prime Minister Boris Johnson “out of touch” over devolution.
The ex-prime minister predicted Scots would vote to remain part the UK in another referendum but warned it would be a “hard battle” to retain the Union.
Speaking on Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Brown said: “I think if there was a referendum, we’d win and Scotland would stay in the UK. But it’s got to be a hard battle because people are frustrated, they’re fed up, not just in Scotland but in the regions of England and Wales.”
He argued that there should not be another independence vote next year amid the country’s economic recovery from the pandemic, the vaccination rollout and any further waves of Covid-19.
Referencing Johnson’s comments on devolution being “a disaster”, Brown added: “He’s completely out of touch and that’s why he is not popular in Scotland.
“But neither would he be popular in Wales where people want devolution to work.”
Suggesting Johnson “has got to do something to show that he cares about Scotland”, Brown added: “In the end, it’s you, the prime minister, who’s got
Rishi Sunak’s problems are beginning. He’s going to be tested GORDON BROWN ON CHANCELLOR
to try to unite the country. You can’t rely on different parts of the country c omi n g together automatically, you’ve got to bring people together.”
Following the pandemic, Brown said there has to be a “far better balance between the powers that the nations and regions hold” and Westminster.
Th e f ormer MP f or Ki rkc a l dy and Cowdenbeath argued more economic, public health and employment powers should be held by the devolved nationals and England’s regional mayors.
Asked what advice he would give Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Brown said: “I used to say when I was the chancellor, there were only two kinds of chancellor – there were those who failed and those who got out just in time.
“If I were Rishi Sunak, I would think that – having given out all this money – his problems are really now beginning and I think he is going to be tested.”