Scotland will protect its place in EU: Sturgeon
Nationalists draw up plans for fresh vote on independence as critics say it will cause instability
Nicola Sturgeon says she will seek immediate talks with Brussels to protect Scotland’s place in the EU. It followed an emergency meeting of her cabinet. Meanwhile, a former mayor of Londonderry claimed a united Ireland was more likely than ever as Unionists could back it.
NICOLA STURGEON said yesterday she would seek immediate discussions with Brussels to protect Scotland’s place in the EU while warning again that another independence referendum was “very much on the table”.
She plans to set up a panel of experts to advise her on legal, financial and diplomatic matters as she seeks to continue Scotland’s membership.
Following an emergency meeting of Scottish ministers – the first held on a Saturday – the First Minister said she would “act decisively but in a way that builds unity across Scotland”.
The cabinet meeting was called amid warnings that the Brexit vote could precipitate the break-up of the United Kingdom after Scotland voted by a margin of 62 per cent to 38 per cent to remain in Europe.
Ms Sturgeon said a second vote on independence was now “highly likely” in the next two years, and confirmed her government would draw up the necessary legislation for a fresh vote.
Scottish ministers are also expected to explore the possibility of Scotland remaining in both the UK and the EU.
She described the prospect of the country being dragged from the EU against its will as “democratically unacceptable”, while opposition parties called for stability and warned against a rush to “indyref2”.
Speaking on the steps of Bute House, her official residence in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon said: “Most of our discussion this morning centred on what we can do in the here and now and in the negotiations that lie ahead to protect Scotland’s relationship with the European Union and our place in the single market.
“Cabinet agreed that we will seek to enter into immediate discussions with the EU’s institutions and with other EU member states to explore all possible options to protect Scotland’s place in the EU. In doing so, we are determined to draw on as much support and advice from across Scotland as possible. I can confirm today that over the next few days I will establish an advisory panel comprising a range of experts who can advise me and the Scottish Government on a number of important matters – legal, financial and diplomatic.”
She claimed her government, which campaigned for Remain, was “stable and effective” while Westminster was “in turmoil”. “As a vacuum of leadership develops, I want to make it clear that Scotland is led by a stable and effective government.
“We are focused on making sure that Scotland’s interests are protected, but we are also determined to continue our work to further improve our schools, our hospitals and our economy.” The SNP manifesto for May’s Holyrood elections said the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold another independence vote if there was a “significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014”.
Before the UK voted to leave, a second Scottish referendum seemed a distant prospect after the slump in the oil price and the SNP’s failure to win a majority in the Holyrood elections.
Recent polls have suggested Ms Sturgeon would not win a rerun of the September 2014 vote, but there are already signs that her dream of independence has received a shot in the arm. Henry McLeish, a former Labour first minister, said he was now “very, very attracted” by separation if it kept Scotland’s place in Europe, and described Thursday’s referendum as a “game-changer”.
The SNP has reported large numbers of No voters from 2014 contacting the party to say they would now vote Yes.
She said a second independence referendum was “clearly an option that requires to be on the table and is very much on the table”, and added that her cabinet had expressed “pride” at the “emphatic vote” across Scotland to remain, saying a majority clearly felt “deep disappointment”.
In the short term, she said, she wanted to reassure EU citizens living in Scotland that they were welcome and said she planned to reinforce that message over the coming weeks.
“To that end, I will be inviting the consuls general of all EU member states to a summit here in Bute House over the next two weeks to discuss how we engage with their communities here and make clear how highly we value the contribution they make to Scotland’s economy, society and culture,” she said. “Scotland is – and will continue to be – an attractive and stable place to do business.
“One particular group we are anxious to reassure is the community of EU citizens living here in Scotland. People from other EU countries who have done us the honour of choosing to make Scotland their home are welcome here. I want to make sure that is a message we get across strongly in the weeks and months ahead.”
Opposition parties in Scotland called for stability. Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, said the 1.6million votes cast in favour of remaining in the EU “do not wipe away the 2 million votes that we cast less than two years ago” in favour or remaining in the UK.
“What we need now is Scotland’s two governments working together to ensure stability,” she added.
“The SNP agitating for an independence referendum rerun will do precisely the opposite. The priority should be stabilising the economy, reassuring Scotland’s businesses and protecting jobs, not promising a further layer of economic upheaval.”
On plans to establish an EU advisory group, Ms Davidson said it should encompass the “widest possible support”. “The Scottish Conservatives want to be constructive and would like to propose suitably qualified personnel to engage with the group,” she said.
Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish Labour leader, said fundamental questions asked during the independence campaign, such as those over currency, remained unanswered.
An independent Scotland in the EU would have to have a “hard” border with an England outside Europe, and would be unlikely to be able to keep sterling, its preferred currency, which would by then be the currency of a country outside Europe.
Last night, it was reported that the European Commission suggested an independent Scotland would have to reapply to become a EU member.
Meanwhile, on the second day of his whistle-stop visit to his two Scottish golf resorts, Donald Trump said in Aberdeenshire that a “lot of nations are going to follow what took place with the UK”.
He said another Scottish vote “seems to be the next thing”, but added: “It is very tricky, they just did it and now they are going to do it again.”