‘Absurd, ridiculous comments’

NICOLA Sturgeon has criticised Boris Johnson’s “absurd and ridiculous political comments” claiming there is no Scottish border.

The first minister said attempts to escalate a row about people potentially having to quarantine if entering Scotland from other parts of the UK are “frankly disgraceful”.

Ms Sturgeon has repeatedly stated she will not rule out such quarantine measures if they are supported by public health evidence, a suggestion the PM said he found “absolutely astonishing”.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson said: “There have been no such discussions with the Scottish administration about that but I would point out (to Conservative MP Andrew Bowie) what he knows very well – there is no such thing as a border between England and Scotland.”

Asked at the Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefing about the comments, Ms Sturgeon said it was “such an absurd statement”, and added: “What there definitely is, is a geographical boundary to my powers as first minister.

“If the prime minister is questioning that now, I’m not sure what he would say if I pitched up in Newcastle and started to try to implement Scottish Government policies.

“And see what I’ve just said there? It’s absurd too, which is why we shouldn’t be having these discussions.

“We should all be focusing with an absolute laser-like focus on what we need to do within our own responsibilities and working together when necessary to stop a virus.”

Boris Johnston