Silencing the SNP

Nicola Sturgeon’s grandstanding

THE GOVERNMENT’S challenge over Covid-19 is not helped by the daily grandstanding of Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, who is patently exploiting the crisis in order to advance the cause of Scottish independence.

Never acknowledging the benevolence of UK taxpayers towards Scotland through the outdated Barnett Formula, her approach is to make a preemptive announcement – such as pupils returning to school having to wear face masks and coverings in Scottish schools – in the hope of showing up 10 Downing Street.

And while there are aspects of Covid-19 that demand a more local, and nuanced, response, there are measures – especially those pertaining to schools across the UK – that do require a co-ordinated ‘four nations’ approach in order to maintain trust and, where necessary, ensure maximum compliance.

However this will not happen while Ms Sturgeon is on political ‘manoeuvres’ and the Department for Education at the mercy of Gavin Williamson whose ambiguity has exasperated teachers still further in the wake of an exams fiasco which, in normal times, would have been a prima facie resignation issue.

He now needs to provide some leadership – several Cabinet Ministers say this is Mr Williamson’s last chance – so that schools, students and parents can prepare for a new academic year like no other. If not, the country risks another cohort of students suffering the same misfortune as all those left at the mercy of the exams debacle – and the risk of the United Kingdom being broken up if the Government continues to allow Ms Sturgeon to set the national agenda each day.