May plea to Sturgeon on EU blueprint
THERESA May yesterday urged Nicola Sturgeon to back her Brexit plan because it is in Scotland’s interests.
The Prime Minister met the SNP leader in Edinburgh, where she made an appeal for her to get behind her EU exit blueprint.
Mrs May also insisted that she still expects to reach a deal with the European Union, despite her International Trade Secretary Liam Fox suggesting that there is now a 60/40 chance of no deal.
Miss Sturgeon claimed her fears of ‘no deal’ were not allayed, but said she does not know if she will demand an independence referendum when she updates MSPs in October.
She hinted she may not even be ready to reach a conclusion.
Mrs May and Miss Sturgeon held private talks ahead of signing off a £1.2billion ‘city deal’ for Edinburgh, which includes £300million from the UK and Scottish Governments.
Asked if she would accept a request for a second independence referendum while she is leader, Mrs May said: ‘The Scottish people voted in 2014, they had a referendum.
‘What I want to see is the Scottish Government putting forward their support.’
She said Westminster was working to get ‘a good deal that will work for Scotland as well as other parts of the United Kingdom’.
Mrs May also promised Scots fishermen that Britain will leave the hated Common Fisheries Policy.