Contempt for Scotland clear from Johnson

Sir, – In my letter published on June 19 I pointed out that the prime minister “appears to have scant regard for the interests and concerns of the other three members of the current Union”.

This was borne out by his announcing of the lifting of restrictions and his moving towards air bridges without consulting any of the other governing bodies.

Inevitably his break with the four nation approach has caused considerable concern in these three other countries.

Nicola Sturgeon has raised the possibility of quarantine, as a last resort, if scientific evidence shows that outbreaks elsewhere threaten Scotland’s efforts to defeat Covid-19.

At all times she has stressed that this would be a non-political decision based on medical evidence in order to eradicate the virus.

In Parliament the PM described this as “absolutely astonishing and shameful”.

It came in the very week that Westminster had to declare a second lockdown in Leicester to deal with new outbreaks and the day after a cross border outbreak was identified in Dumfries and Galloway.

He was joined in his attack by Alister Jack, Secretary of State for Scotland, who in theory looks after Scotland’s interests at Westminster.

Mr Jack, an entrepreneur, has been almost invisible during the crisis except to demand an easing of restrictions to benefit business interests.

He described the first minister as “reckless” and “divisive” and “bad for business”.

As the MP for Dumfries and Galloway, he has shown his constituents where his priorities lie.

Perhaps the most worrying part of the debate was the PM admitted that he had had no discussions with the Scottish Parliament and shouted that there was no such thing as a Scottish border.

This display of contempt for Scotland and for Holyrood suggests a very real threat that, desperate to distract from his own mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis and encouraged by the shift to the right in English politics, he may launch a campaign to frustrate the efforts of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments and indeed threaten their very existence.

Ken Guild.

76 Brown Street, Broughty Ferry.