Sturgeon and Ruth clash in row over migrants

PARTY leaders clashed over Brexit yesterday as the First Minister vowed to stand by Scottish firms which would refuse to publish details of their foreign workers.

Nicola Sturgeon warned the Scottish parliament that the UK is heading for the ‘hardest of hard Brexits’ as she hit out at the ‘xenophobes’ in the UK Government.

Her attack comes after Home Secretary Amber Rudd this week disclosed proposals that could see companies forced to list the number of foreign workers they employ and firms named for not hiring enough British staff.

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson tried to distance herself from the comments by telling the Conservative conference in Birmingham on Wednesday that immigrants were welcome in Britain.

But this did not stop criticism in the chamber at First Minister’s Questions at yesterday.

The spat began when Miss Sturgeon welcomed Miss Davidson back from the conference by saying: ‘I hope she is thoroughly ashamed of the xenophobic rhetoric by which she has been surrounded over the past few days.’

Miss Davidson retorted: ‘I assume that even the First Minister would acknowledge that I made my positions perfectly clear at the party conference.’

When asked if she would support any Scottish company refusing to comply with Miss Rudd’s proposal, she said: ‘I would abso-

‘This is your home, you are welcome’

lutely stand four-square beside any company that refused to comply with any request to publish details of foreign workers.

‘What I find particularly offensive is the idea that companies will be named and shamed for the foreign workers that they employ, as if there was something shameful about employing workers from other countries. It is absolutely disgraceful.’

Miss Sturgeon called on the Tories to drop the proposal, saying her Government ‘would have absolutely nothing to do with it’.

In her conference speech, Miss Davidson said: ‘For those who have already chosen to build a life, open a business, make a contribution, I say this is your home and you are welcome here.’

Miss Sturgeon welcomed these remarks but added: ‘The difference between Ruth and I is this: she wants control over immigration to stay in the hands of the xenophobes.

‘I want it to come into the hands of this parliament so we can put these sentiments into practice.’

The First Minister also suggested at the Cosla conference held in Crieff, Perthshire, last night that there ‘may well be’ a case for putting the Brexit deal to a referendum if signs of a ‘deeply troubling’ exit from the single market were to happen.