FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned Theresa May to respect Scotland’s wish to stay in Europe.
Sturgeon, who is in London to meet with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, said she was looking forward to “developing a constructive relationship” with the Tory Party leader, but said the way May answered “the question of Scotland’s continued place in the European Union” would be an “early test” for the new Prime Minister.
“The incoming PM has said to her party that ‘Brexit means Brexit’ – but she must not forget that Scotland voted to stay in the EU, and so for us remain means remain,” Sturgeon said. “While I do not agree with the decision on the EU reached by people in England and Wales, I do respect it. I hope the new PM will show the same respect for the decision reached by the Scottish people.”
In the House of Commons yesterday, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond was pressed to give guarantees that the Scottish Government would be included in any Brexit negotiations.
Hammond said the “Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Governments as well as the Mayor of London, the overseas territories and other regional interests” would all be fully involved but refused to give more detail, saying only that Whitehall would “consult the Scottish Government both formally and through informal dialogue, including at senior official level on an ongoing basis”.
Meanwhile, the finance ministers from the three devolved administrations have written to Chancellor George Osborne asking for an urgent meeting to discuss how the EU referendum result would affect their budgets.
Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Finance Mark Drakeford, Scottish Government Finance Secretary Derek Mackay and Northern Ireland Minister of Finance Máirtín Ó Muilleoir MLA met in Cardiff yesterday.
Mackay said: “I firmly believe that membership of the European Union is in the best interests of Scotland, which is why the Scottish Government is absolutely committed to pursuing all possible avenues to maintain our place in the EU, in line with the way people in Scotland voted.”
Brexit and uncertainty over the process, Mackay warned, will have an impact on this year’s Scottish Budget. He suggested he will likely publish a one-year rather than a three-year budget this year.
Europe dominated a meeting between the Scottish Government and the STUC yesterday, with the two discussing the implications of the EU referendum result.
STUC general secretary Grahame Smith said they were assured that the First Minister was “exploring every available option to retain Scotland’s membership of the European Union and is moving to address positively some of the challenges that have arisen in respect of the attitude of the Westminster Government.”
Meanwhile, the SNP’s Civil Liberties spokeswoman, MP Anne McLaughlin, said May’s past voting record was xenophobic and homophobic, and that her record on poverty and inequality was just as bad.
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