Ex-catalan minister moves to Scotland

A former member of Catalonia’s regional government has relocated to Scotland from her self-imposed exile in Belgium.

Clara Ponsati revealed on social media that she has returned to working at the University of St Andrews. The Catalan former education minister had been in Belgium since fleeing Spain along with exregional president Carles Puigdemont and three other former cabinet members following an unsuccessful attempt to declare independence from Spain in October.

She and the others are said to face arrest if they return to Spain. A post on Ms Ponsati’s Twitter account, translated from her native language, said: “The Catalan exile arrives in United Kingdom: enjoying my freedom of movement as a European citizen, this week I’ve reinstated at the University of St Andrews.”

An entry on the university’s website lists Ms Ponsati as a professor at its School of Economics and Finance. A spokesman for the university said: “Professor Clara Ponsati was granted a sabbatical from her post as a senior academic in the School of Economics and Finance to serve as a minister in the Generalitat de Catalunya. We are delighted that she has recently returned to her research work at St Andrews.”