May: Quitting EU can make our UK bonds stronger
The Union is crucial to Britain’s prosperity, says PM
LEAVING the European Union can help to strengthen the UK, Theresa May declared ahead of crunch Brexit talks with Nicola Sturgeon today.
The Prime Minister yesterday said the Union is ‘absolutely vital’ to the economic success of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
She announced that all devolved nations will be represented on a ‘Brexit forum’ which will look at how each part of the UK can benefit from the negotiations with the EU.
Her comments came as she prepared to attend a key meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) at Downing Street today, which Miss Sturgeon, Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones and Northern Irish First Minister Arlene Foster will also attend.
But the attempt to highlight the importance of the Union will not impress Scotland’s First Minister, who last week launched a draft referendum Bill and insists another vote on independence is ‘highly likely’ because of Brexit.
Mrs May said: ‘I am determined that as we make a success of our exit from the European Union, we in turn further strengthen our own enduring Union. The great Union between us has been the cornerstone of our prosperity in the past and it is absolutely vital to our success in the future.
‘The country is facing a negotiation of tremendous importance and it is imperative that the devolved administrations play their part in making it work.
‘The new forum will be the chance for them to put forward proposals on how to seize the opportunities presented by Brexit and deliver the democratic decision expressed by the people of the UK.’
The UK Government intends to trigger Article 50 by the end of March, which will fire the starting gun on two years of negotiations with the EU about Brexit.
The Scottish Government has been demanding that it is an ‘equal partner’ in these talks, and that a deal is sought for Scotland which retains its membership of the European single market.
At today’s meeting, Mrs May will propose that a sub-committee of the JMC is set up to discuss Brexit. Chaired by Brexit Secretary David Davis, it will meet before Article 50 is triggered to discuss the approach to leaving. Mrs May will also insist that no final decision has been made on the UK Government’s EU exit strategy and will promise to listen to any proposals made by the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish administrations.
But that is unlikely to satisfy Miss Sturgeon’s demands. The First Minister yesterday wrote to Mrs May to demand ‘meaningful input into the decision-making structure’ ahead of Brexit talks.
She also called for Holyrood and the other devolved parliaments to get a vote on the proposed negotiation package – and said the UK position will need to take account of the needs, responsibilities and priorities of each administration.
In a hint at the prospect of a second independence referendum, she said: ‘Following Scotland’s unequivocal vote to remain in the EU, the Scottish Government has a democratic duty to protect all of Scotland’s interests and we are considering all possible options to ensure Scotland’s relationship with, and place in, Europe.’
A report published today by the Institute for Government warns that the failure of all the nations of the UK to agree on the approach to Brexit would trigger a ‘fullblown constitutional crisis’.
However, Miss Sturgeon faces growing pressure to drop her threat of a second referendum. Former SNP leader Gordon Wilson said it would be a miscalculation to call a second referendum since polls still show a majority of Scots would again vote No.
He said work would need done on how to address the £15billion deficit an independent Scotland would face and added: ‘A second referendum isn’t really on.’
Ex-Better Together chairman Alistair Darling accused Miss Sturgeon of using talk of a second ballot as a ‘smokescreen’ to distract from the challenges the Scottish Government faces. He said: ‘All the evidence is that public opinion hasn’t changed much since 2014.’
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: ‘Scotland is divided enough, we don’t want to be divided again. It would be an act of economic vandalism to pursue a second referendum at this stage.’
‘Act of economic vandalism’