Paterson U-turn shows Johnson can’t stand in way of Indyref2 – SNP
The Owen Paterson scandal shows Boris Johnson "always bows to pressure" and will not be able to stand in the way of a second independence referendum, the depute leader of the SNP has said.
Addressing the party's virtual conference yesterday, Keith Brown insisted the independence campaign is already "well under way".
He pointed to the "scandalous Owen Paterson affair" in Westminster as an example of the Prime Minister U-turning on a previous position.
The UK Government has repeatedly said it will not agree to a second referendum.
Mr Johnson initially wanted to overhaul the standards system when Mr Paterson, a Tory MP, was found to have broken lobbying rules, but changed course after a backlash.
Elsewhere, Mr Brown, who is Scotland's justice secretary, said the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow had offered a "tantalising preview of how the world will welcome Scotland to the top table of nations of this world".
He said independence was needed “to invest in our bountiful renewable energy resources, which are the envy of Europe”, adding: “The future of our planet depends on it – and it’s too important to
be left to the Tories.” The MSP told delegates the Holyrood election in May, in which the SNP returned 64 MSPS, delivered "an undeniable mandate for a new independence referendum".
He said the party must aim to replicate this "triumph" in next year's council elections. Mr Brown said: "Friends, I can tell you this – that independence campaign is well under way. And I promise you we will not let up until we win that referendum."
He said campaigners must reach out to undecided voters.
Mr Brown said the Scottish Government was resuming its "crucial work on an updated and detailed prospectus for independence" following a pause during the pandemic.
He said: "That new government work will be essential to help voters make their fully informed choice and we await the delivery of that new prospectus with eager anticipation.”
Mr Brown added: "Conference, earlier this month the world’s eyes were on Scotland as Glasgow hosted COP26. And the world was not slow in telling us they loved what they saw.
"Through the exemplary leadership of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, we were given a tantalising preview of how the world will welcome Scotland to the top table of nations of this world.
"But to do that, and do it properly, we need so much more than the constraints of the Union. We need our independence.”
Mr Brown said: "Coupled with the cast-iron mandate delivered in May – and another thumping triumph in the council elections this coming May – we will continue to pile the pressure on the UK Government over our legitimate demand for a referendum.
"The Johnsons and the Goves of Westminster know they can’t stand in the way of the democratic will of Scotland.
"And what we know is that Boris Johnson always bows to pressure – just look at the scandalous Owen Paterson affair.
"The Prime Minister’s actions speak far louder than words. When the Prime Minister had to choose between protecting the integrity of elected office or protecting his friend, he chose to change the rules to protect a colleague. And when the pressure came on, he caved in and U-turned again.”
Responding to Mr Brown’s speech, Pamela Nash, chief executive of pro-uk campaign group Scotland in Union, said: “To boast that a fresh campaign to divide Scotland and break-up the UK is under way on the day that warnings are issued about a new Covid variant is simply extraordinary.
“Government ministers should be focused on the recovery and rebuilding our NHS and public services, not obsessing about the constitution.
“As part of the UK we are stronger together, protecting millions of jobs and livelihoods, investing more in schools and hospitals, and ensuring we can build a recovery that leaves no community behind.”
Deputy First Minister John Swinney is set to further press home the case for independence in his speech at the conference this afternoon.
He is expected to say: “We are now seeing a concerted attack on our Parliament, from the very people who fought tooth and nail against it being established in the first place.
“In a grotesque irony, the Tories are using something that the people of Scotland voted overwhelmingly against – Brexit – to undermine something they voted overwhelmingly for – the Scottish Parliament.
“Through the Internal Market Act, the Tories have given themselves unfettered power to decide the rules of the internal market – and to completely ignore the devolution settlement if they want to.
“There will be no sudden Big Bang moment. Boris Johnson is not going to stand up and announce to the cheering Tory faithful that he is dismantling the devolution settlement – much as I am sure he would like to.
“But make no mistake – piece by piece, devolution is quietly being filleted, hollowed out from the inside, by a Tory party which has always opposed the idea of anything other than unfettered Westminster control on Scotland.
“All of us who care so deeply about the Scottish Parliament and its role in Scottish public life need to stand up and be counted – before it is too late.”
Forbes under fire after insisting Scotland has no financial deficit
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has come under fire after insisting – in an interview branded “a masterclass in SNP incompetence" – that Scotland has no financial deficit.
On the day the SNP conference started, Ms Forbes said that, as Finance Secretary, she only spends what she raises or receives every year due to Scotland’s inability to borrow as a separate country.
The annual Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) report, released in August, showed Scotland‘s notional deficit more than doubled to £36.3 billion in 2020/21 – the highest yearly figure since devolution.
The report illustrates Scotland’s public spending and has been described by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) as “the most sensible starting point” for assessing the fiscal chal
lenges that an independent Scotland would face. Increased spending and falling revenues as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, compounded by the continuing oil price slump, increased Scotland’s notional deficit for 2020/21 from 8.6 per cent of GDP in 2019/20 to 22.4 per cent – higher than the 14.2 per cent for the UK as a whole.
The figure was also more than twice the advanced economy average of 11.7 per cent estimated by the International Monetary Fund.
On BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland yesterday, Ms Forbes, who is due to deliver the Scottish Budget on December 9, said: "I balance my budget every year, so I only spend on an annual basis what I raise or receive, which is totally at odds with nearly every other government around the world. You cannot have a deficit if you cannot borrow for day-to-day spending.
“What you’re talking about is a notional deficit, where 72 per cent of the tax figures are UK Government tax figures. So if you've got a problem with the notional deficit, I would suggest the problem was with the status quo and not with the potential future that Scotland might have.”
She added: “I want Scotland to ensure it can thrive in the future. I want to ensure that our rich natural assets can be used to feed hungry children in Scotland.
"We believe that Scotland’s future is best served in Scotland’s hands and, ultimately, we believe that means that Scotland’s people should have a say over their future.”
Scottish Labour finance spokesperson Daniel Johnson said: “The Finance Secretary’s interview this morning was a masterclass in SNP incompetence. Kate Forbes had no answers on the falling support for independence and no answers over the economic havoc that separation would cause.
“This shows a party out of ideas and focused only on spin and denial.”
Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: “Kate Forbes is in denial about the scale of the financial challenge which would face a separate Scotland. She needs to be honest with voters – what taxes would she increase and what public services would she cut?”
Scottish Conservative shadow constitution minister Donald Cameron said: “Kate Forbes also failed to answer how her party would deal with Scotland’s enormous budget deficit in the event of independence. It’s a total copout to talk of the deficit being ‘notional’.”