Gove: SNP still ‘partisan’ over EU split
NATIONALIST ministers are holding constructive meetings with the UK Government over Brexit while others in the SNP seek to score ‘partisan points’, Michael Gove said yesterday.
The Environment Secretary claimed the Scottish Government seemed to be ‘taking a leaf’ out of the UK Government’s book as it begins to prepare frameworks for leaving the European Union.
But Scottish Secretary David Mundell warned that, despite constructive talks behind the scenes, some within the SNP were attempting to ‘weaponise Brexit’ because they wanted another independence referendum. He and Mr Gove were in Edinburgh at the Royal Highland Show where they confirmed that agricultural powers will return to Holyrood when Britain leaves the European Union, but within some UK frameworks.
Mr Mundell said: ‘The complete and utter myth that agricultural powers were going to be seized by the UK Government has this week been shot down completely.’
Earlier this week, Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing set out a post-Brexit transition deal which will see subsidies remain in place for five years after the UK leaves the EU.
He claimed this goes further than any of the pledges made by the Conservatives at Westminster.
But Mr Gove said the SNP was merely ‘taking a leaf’ out of his book. He added: ‘They understand that life outside the European Union means you can remove some bureaucracy from the lives of farmers, and that has to be a good thing.
‘Here in Scotland we respect the fact there is a devolved administration that will make its own decision, but it’s encouraging that the direction of travel the Scottish Government wants to take is one that’s following in our footsteps.’
The comments came as Scottish and UK ministers met in Guernsey last night at the latest British-Irish Council meeting, attended by Nicola Sturgeon, her Brexit Minister Mike Russell and Mrs May’s deputy, David Lidington, who told the Scottish Daily Mail the SNP must stop making ‘political noise’ and work with him and officials.
A spokesman for Brexit Minister Mike Russell said: ‘It’s time the UK Government stopped playing games – this is too serious for juvenile politics. We have always been willing to work constructively.’