Sturgeon warns MPS are being ‘railroaded’ into a blind Brexit deal
Nicola Sturgeon will warn MPS should not be “railroaded” into accepting a bad or blindfold deal on Brexit on the grounds that no deal would be catastrophic.
In a speech in London today, the First Minister will say MPS do not have to fall for such a “false choice” and there are other options.
She will set out an alternative
to the Brexit choices being considered by Prime Minister Theresa May during a keynote speech at the Royal Society of Arts.
Ms Sturgeon is expected to say: “The UK government has spent two years asserting that no deal is better than a bad deal. However, they will almost certainly try to railroad MPS into accepting a bad or blindfold deal on the grounds that no deal would be a catastrophe.
“They are threatening us with fire, to make us choose the frying pan.
“MPS do not have to fall for that false choice. Other options are available. Voting against a bad or blindfold deal isn’t a vote for no deal. It would be a vote to open the door to a better deal.
“In fact, if the UK government
comes back to Parliament with a bad or blindfold deal, voting against it is the only chance the Westminster parliament will have to re-set the negotiations.”
The First Minister will launch a new paper from the Scottish Government, entitled Scotland’s Place in Europe: Our Way Forward.
In the foreword, Ms Sturgeon says: “The Scottish Government, in line with the overwhelming vote for remain in Scotland, supports continued EU membership. Remaining in the EU continues to be our strong preference.
“Nevertheless in December 2016 we set out a compromise plan to keep Scotland and the UK in the European single market and customs union to limit the damage of Brexit as much as possible. It is therefore simply incorrect for the Prime Minister to say that there is no alternative to Chequers.
“In fact, the UK government’s position is increasingly absurd. Insisting on pursuing proposals they have been told will not work while rejecting a plan that will.”
She adds: “With crucial decisions coming up over the next few weeks and months at EU level – and in the House of Commons where the UK government must seek the approval of the UK Parliament – it is vital to break the deadlock.
“For the Prime Minister and the UK government it is time to face reality. For MPS at Westminster it is time to come together in a commonsense coalition to minimise the Brexit damage.”