Tories and Labour in denial over Brexit damage, FM will say
◆ Yousaf to claim up to £69bn may have been wiped from UK income and public services would be £1.6bn better off in EU
Scotland has been damaged by Brexit, but both the Tories and Labour are in denial, Humza Yousaf is set to say.
The First Minister will use a speech at the London School of Economics today to challenge both main parties on Britain’s departure from the European Union, and claim Scotland’s public services would be £1.6 billion higher if theukw as still in the EU.
Mr Yousaf, the SNP leader, will also argue Scottish independence would result in a return to the European Union for Scotland and an increase in living standards.
He is expected to say: “A combination of the economic powers that come with independence together with EU membership will be a powerful driver of better living standards and a fairer, stronger Scottish economy. In Scotland, I believe there is broad public agreement that Brexit has damaged the economy and public services, and that it should be reversed.
“Yet at Westminster there is agreement between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer that the UK should stay out of both the EU and the huge European single market – whatever the cost.”
The First Minister is expected to quote research from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research on the impact of leaving the EU.
He will say: “The National Institute for Economic and Social Research suggests that compared to EU membership, the UK economy was 2.5 per cent smaller in 2023 and it expects that figure to rise to 5.7 per cent in little more than ten years’ time.
“That means £69 billion could have been wiped from national income in 2023, equating to £28bn of tax revenue – £2.3bn in terms of Scotland’s population share.
“Around 60 per cent of spending in Scotland is on devolved services. With the same level of borrowing and taxation, that means without Brexit devolved spending power for our vital public services, such as the NHS, could have been £1.6bn higher than it is today.
“In other words, Scotland has suffered an estimated £1.6bn cut that could have been invested in our NHS because of a Brexit that people in Scotland overwhelmingly rejected. Giving people a choice over their future with the opportunity to escape the cosy Westminster no change consensus has never been more urgent or essential.”
A report published by The Resolution Foundation in 2022 found leaving the EU had reduced how open and competitive Britain’s economy was.
Shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray said: “Humza Yousaf is totally out of ideas and soon to be out of time. The SNP have presided over Scotland for 17 years and our NHS is in crisis, educational standards have dropped and the economy isn’t growing as it should be and is well behind the north-west of England as an example.
“Humza Yousaf is responsible for the crisis in Scotland and he is not the man to resolve it. Only Labour can deliver the change that Scotland needs.”
A UK government spokesperson said: “People in Scotland want both their governments to be concentrating on
Humza Yousaf is totally out of ideas and soon to be out of time Shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray
the issues that matter most to them, like growing our economy, continuing to cut inflation and improving public services.
“We want to work constructively with the Scottish Government to tackle our shared challenges because that is what families and businesses in Scotland expect. This is not the time to be talking about distracting constitutional change.”
Meanwhile, senior SNP minister Angus Robertson has accused his UK counterparts of not being “interested” in having good inter-governmental relations with the Scottish Government.
The Scottish constitution, external affairs and culture secretary claimed UK government officials frequently cancelled planned meetings or skipped them entirely. Appearing before Westminster’s Scottish affairs committee yesterday, the Edinburgh Central MSP suggested meetings had been sought with ministers visiting Scotland, only to be refused.
Mr Robertson said: “I could evidence you chapter and verse about meetings that are not attended, meetings that are cancelled.
"Senior ministers, I don't think, are not interested in having good inter-governmental relations, because if they were, they'd show up. More often than not, letters requesting meetings weren’t even replied to.
“Unfortunately [there are] too many examples of even UK Cabinet ministers coming here. One that sticks in my mind is Jacob Rees-mogg, who came all the way to Edinburgh and wasn't prepared to meet in person.
“We had another Cabinet minister here last week, Steve Barclay, and he didn't have any time even though that meeting was asked for. I am more than content to meet with colleagues”.
Mr Robertson claimed this frustration wasn’t just felt in Holyrood, but also by Welsh government officials.
He said: “It’s not just the Scottish Government. If you had any of my Welsh colleagues here, they would be saying exactly the same things to you, because we have the same views.
A UK government spokesperson said: “Citizens rightly want their governments working together to deliver for them and that is why the UK government is committed to close intergovernmental working. Both ministers and officials meet regularly with counterparts.”