The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
First minister says she is tired of ‘empty platitudes’
The UK Government has called on Nicola Sturgeon to “put Scottish business first” and support the prime minister’s Brexit deal. Cabinet Office minister – and Mrs May’s de facto deputy – David Lidington said he hopes political differences can be put aside to support a package he believes delivers for jobs and investment.
Mr Lidington met with members of the financial sector in Edinburgh yesterday, but he said a request for talks with Scottish ministers had been declined.
He told journalists: “Overall this is a package that will work for the prosperity and security of everybody in Scotland and the whole of the UK.
“I think there will be an important choice for the Scottish Government and for Scottish MPs at Westminster – employers in all sectors want a deal and they want the stability and the certainty and the clarity that that will bring.
“I hope very much that despite the political differences which do exist, and which I respect, that the first minister will in the end decide to put the interests of Scottish business and living standards and prosperity in Scotland first and support this deal.”
Ms Sturgeon said the offer of a meeting had come at short notice and she was not willing to cancel other commitments “to yet again have to hear empty platitudes”.
She tweeted: “My office got a call around 6pm last night to offer a meeting this morning – purpose not clear.
“I wasn’t prepared to cancel my constituency commitments at such short notice for @scotgov to yet again have to hear empty platitudes rather than be listened to.”
Sturgeon had told a meeting of business people in Glasgow on Thursday of her concern that making special provisions for Northern Ireland in the deal would leave Scotland at a competitive disadvantage.
Responding, Mr Lidington said: “I think it’s an exaggerated fear. Neither the UK, nor the Irish Government, nor the EU 27 want the backstop ever to be used. They want it kept as an insurance policy.
“The key thing is to get the future UK-EU partnership sorted as rapidly as possible so the backstop is never brought into operation, or if it is, it’s for a very short time indeed.”
Mr Lidington said Northern Ireland is already different to Scotland in a number of regulatory aspects.
The Scotland for a People’s Vote campaign said it was a bad deal for the country’s vital interests.
A spokesman said: “For example, access to EU markets for our fish products would be dependent on granting access to European fleets, so the promises made to the fishing industry would be rendered null and void. It’s the Common Fisheries Policy by any other name, except we’d have absolutely no say over the policy - so it would be worse.”