Britain is the vital union for Scotland ...we are better together

TWO years ago, the people of Scotland gave the United Kingdom a resounding vote of confidence. You determined that we are stronger together and should remain as one United Kingdom.

This year, in June, there was another referendum across the whole of the UK – and people voted to take this great country’s destiny back into its own hands.

I campaigned for that outcome – and believe passionately that this is right for Britain. We now approach the negotiation from a position of strength, but that doesn’t mean we won’t face challenges along the way.

I am determined that the approach we take to address those challenges – and seize new opportunities – will be a UK-wide one, taking into account the views of every nation and region.

That is why in her first week in office, the Prime Minister came to Scotland. And it is why I am here in Glasgow today.

In the months ahead, we want to hear Scottish views, not just of politicians and leaders of Scotland’s great businesses but from you, the people of Scotland.

I am visiting Scotland because I am determined to reach out to the parts of the UK where many people didn’t support an exit from the European Union in the same numbers as elsewhere, as well as those where big majorities voted to leave the EU. We want to bring together people from both sides of the referendum argument.

IWILL ensure your voice is heard as we work towards a Brexit deal that enables every part of the UK to succeed and prosper. This will be a two-way conversation – and we need to hear what people want our relationship with Europe to look like. Part of that process is building on the foundations that are already in place.

The UK is an outward-facing country. Indeed, after Brexit we are determined we should be even more engaged in the world. We’re leaving the EU, but we’re not leaving Europe. We will still be a part of Europe and a friend and partner to the EU. This is not about ending a relationship; it is about starting a new one, which is dynamic, constructive and better for the whole of the UK.

People in Scotland are as concerned about uncontrolled immigration as people in the rest of the UK are. In leaving the EU, we can create an immigration system that allows us to control numbers, but encourages the brightest, the best and the most enterprising to come to this country.

We’re determined too, despite some of the scaremongering, to guarantee the rights of EU nationals who’ve made their homes here and contribute to our economy and society, as long as those UK citizens in the EU are similarly respected. That’s something I find inconceivable to imagine we can’t agree with our EU counterparts.

At home, we want to make sure our regulatory environment helps rather than hinders businesses and workers. We’ve been clear that Brexit won’t be about undermining workers’ rights – where UK law already goes further than EU law in many areas. All this will work for Scotland every bit as much as it will for the rest of the UK – and it is why I believe those who seek to exploit the Brexit vote as a pretext for another referendum on Scottish independence are so profoundly wrong.

The SNP talks at great length of the importance of EU markets for Scotland – and of course, they are important. Scotland exported goods worth £11.6billion to the European Union in 2014. But Scotland sells more than four times this figure to the rest of the UK – worth £48.5billion to the Scottish economy. This clearly shows that the UK is the vital union for Scotland.

And we want UK firms to have the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the Single Market. It’s clear that’s in the EU’s interests as much as that of Scotland and the whole UK.

If the arguments for Scotland leaving the UK were judged weak by Scottish voters in 2014, they are weaker still today – and that has nothing to do with the decision to leave the EU.

The question of what currency an independent Scotland would use remains unanswered. The Scottish Government’s own figures on the state of the public finances have got worse, not better, since September 2014.

WITHOUT the strength and certainty that being part of the UK provides, they demonstrate what we argued in 2014 – that Scotland would have faced either crippling cuts in public services or devastating tax hikes.

So let’s put the divisive debates and arguments of the last few years behind us. Instead, let’s focus together on the bright future ahead. I believe Scotland can and will benefit greatly from Brexit and that she will play a key role in seizing the opportunities it will bring, shaping the next stage in the story of our islands. Just as she always has.

There has been a substantial dialogue between Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and London and that will continue. UK Government Scotland Office ministers have held more than 60 events to engage with Scottish stakeholders. I have already met Mike Russell, my counterpart in the Scottish Government, and am looking forward to seeing him again today.

On Monday, the Prime Minister will meet Nicola Sturgeon and the leaders of the Welsh and Northern Irish administrations at Downing Street to talk about how we can best take a UK-wide approach to our EU negotiations.

The Prime Minister has been very clear: the United Kingdom is a great and strong country with a bright future and Scotland plays a huge part in its success. We remain open for business. We are the same outward-looking, globally-minded, free-trading nation we have always been. We should all focus on the new freedoms and opportunities to succeed.

We have promised that the devolved administrations will have an important role as we approach the forthcoming negotiations. We will be true to our word. Everyone has a voice as we forge a new place for the UK in the world.

You can rest assured that Scotland’s voice will be heard loud and clear.