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PM insists vaccination hubs and testing centre are a benefit to UK

BORIS Johnson has claimed vaccination hubs and a major testing centre in Glasgow are “a massive benefit” to the whole of the United Kingdom.

The Prime Minister said he believed they showed why talk of a second independence referendum should be put on hold, despite growing support for another poll to potentially break up the Union.

Johnson was in the city on Thursday to meet Lighthouse Laboratory experts at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and troops setting up a vaccine base in the Glasgow Club Castlemilk.

His controversial visit to Scotland to “show the strength” of the UK had been criticised by some, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying she didn’t think it was “essential”. A “small number” of people even complained to police about the trip.

Johnson said: “Speaking as someone who believes passionately in Britain a nd our country, it’s wonderful to see how all of the country I represent is being helped by Scottish academics, postgraduate students, and scientists, doing testing in Glasgow which is a massive benefit to the whole country.

“It’s wonderful to see how the Scottish regiment of the British army is helping to rollout vaccination centres.

“It’s great to see vaccines going into the arms of people here in Scotland that have been made as part of a great national effort as a result of investment by the UK Government.”

Johnson – who during his briefing failed to name Castlemilk and referred to it only as a “Glasgow area” – questioned what the point would be in holding another vote on Scottish independence.

Recent polls have shown projected increases in seats for the Scottish National Party in May’s Holyrood elections, which could trigger a future vote.

Johnson said: “People want to endlessly discuss independence and have a referendum again, even although we had one in 2014.

“What is that intended to deliver? What happens to the pound? What happens to the army? What happens to the Queen? What happens to our security services?

“These are fundamental questions to statehood and they haven’t been asked or answered.”

When asked if the path to independence matched that of Britain’s journey to leave the EU, where four years of negotiations were needed to finalise a deal, Johnson said: “I genuinely don’t think the people of this country want to spend more time on constitutional wrangling.”

Johnson was reluctant to take direct aim at the SNP but said: “It is a fact the SNP government has not been notably successful in delivering good results on education or on tackling drugs. It is a mark of their general diversionary tactics that they continue to talk about a referendum rather than domestic concerns.”