Plan ‘designed to fail’ says Scottish government
Nicola Sturgeon has declared it is hard to see how Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans will ‘fly’, suggesting the proposal is only designed to fail.
Addressing the three-page letter sent today from the Prime Minister to European Commission president Jeanclaude Juncker, Ms Sturgeon was dismissive of hopes the proposals would yield a longawaited breakthrough in negotiations.
Mr Johnson has urged the European Union to compromise to reach a Brexit deal as he set out his plan to scrap the Irish backstop.
In his letter, Mr Johnson said the backstop - the contingency plan agreed by the EU and Theresa May to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland - must be removed.
But the Scottish First Minister used Twitter to express her reservations over the proposals.
“Hard to see how the UK government Brexit ‘proposals’ fly,” she tweeted.
“And hard to escape conclusion that they’re designed to fail.
“For Scotland, the fundamental point remains. These proposals would take us out of the EU, single market and customs union against our will. That’s unacceptable.”
Scotland’s Constitutional Affairs Secretary Michael Russell said Mr Johnson’s proposals were unrealistic and intended to lead to a no-deal outcome,
“It looks like these proposals are designed to fail and that the UK government is intent on pursuing a ‘no deal’,” he said.
“This plan does not appear to be a serious basis for negotiation. The UK Government is pulling back from previous undertakings and demanding the EU makes concessions on its fundamental principles, which it will not accept.
“The number one priority now is to find a way to stop the disastrous ‘no deal’ outcome which the UK government has demonstrated it favours.
“The proposals published today also show that in the longer-term the UK government wants a much more distant relationship with the EU, with all the damage to jobs and living standards that will bring.”
The plan would see the creation of a “zone of regulatory compliance” for manufactured goods as well as agri-food products covering the whole of the island of Ireland - which would see the North align with EU rules.
Goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK would be subject to identity and documentary checks at either a border inspection post or a designated point of entry.
Northern Ireland would leave the customs union with the rest of the UK, but Downing Street insisted that that would not mean checks taking place “at, or even near” the border.
Instead, it proposed a system of declarations for goods moving between Northern Ireland and the Republic with only a “very small proportion” undergoing physical checks either at the traders’ premises or other designated locations anywhere on the island of Ireland.
The fact Northern Ireland is being treated differently to the rest of the UK opens the door for the Scottish government to also insist it has the right to establish its own relationship with the European Union.