COMMENT

voice does count in the UK and our interests can be protected. If that’s not the case, then I think Scotland would have the right to decide whether it wanted to follow a different path.”

Scotland voted 62 per cent to 38 per cent in favour of remaining in the European Union in the June referendum, but the weight of votes south of the Border swung the result in favour of Leave.

Ms Sturgeon admitted yesterday she is fed up being frozen out of the Brexit proposals by the new Prime Minister.

“I think it has been frustrating, if I can be diplomatic about it,” Ms Sturgeon said yesterday. “Theresa May came to Edinburgh just a couple of days after she became Prime Minister, gave a commitment

“It’s time [for the PM] to prove these things and demonstrate to Scotland that our voice does count in the UK and our interests can be protected”

NICOLA STURGEON to me and to Scotland that we’d be fully involved and that she would listen to options we put forward.

“I think it’s fair to say that promise hasn’t yet been fully honoured and I hope we’ll see it honoured in the days to come.”

The First Minister said it would be “challenging” but “possible” for Scotland to remain in the single market outside the EU, even if the rest of the UK is not party to such an arrangement. She told the SNP conference last week that detailed proposals will be published within weeks.

“We are going to put forward proposals, that we would hope that the UK government would be prepared to listen to, that would allow Scotland to preserve its place in the single market and preserve aspects of its relationship with the EU,” Ms Sturgeon said.

“What I’m trying to do is to explore options whereby Scotland doesn’t have to leave the European Union or the single market, because we voted to stay in.”

The First Minister is due meet the Prime Minister along with the leaders of other devolved administrations next Monday at the first meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee to discuss Brexit.

The SNP leader has also said that the UK government’s current reluctance to share its negotiating position on Brexit with the public or the House of Commons is “unacceptable”.

Ms Sturgeon said: “The House of Commons and the wider public has almost been told to butt out and mind their own business, and we saw in the House of Commons last week there’s not a lot of supportforthatkindofapproach.”

She said it was not acceptable to have a “secret negotiating strategy” and it should be shared with the public and endorsed by parliament.