NICOLA Sturgeon slammed “out of touch” Ruth Davidson after it emerged she is backing hard Brexiteer Sajid Javid in the Conservative leadership contest.
It was reported that the Scottish Tory leader, who campaigned vigorously for a Remain vote in the 2016 EU referendum, would attended Javid’s campaign launch on Wednesday to show her support for the Home Secretary.
Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, Javid said that his “focus” would be on reaching a withdrawal agreement with the EU if he became prime minister.
However, he added: “If we got to the end of October and the choice was between no deal and no Brexit, I would pick no deal.”
READ MORE: Ruth Davidson faces huge backlash over backing of Brexiteer Tory
Responding to reports that Davidson was backing the Home Secretary in the Tory leadership race, Sturgeon tweeted: “Ruth Davidson is supporting a candidate who says he favours a catastrophic no deal Brexit over no Brexit at all.
“What a turn around from the great Remainer of Wembley stadium. And hard to imagine a position more out of touch with the vast majority in Scotland.”
Ruth Davidson is supporting a candidate who says he favours a catastrophic no deal Brexit over no Brexit at all. What a turn around from the great Remainer of Wembley stadium. And hard to imagine a position more out of touch with the vast majority in Scotland. https://t.co/QeZwgewmPW
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) 12 June 2019
Davidson caught the attention of the UK media during an EU referendum debate at Wembley Arena in June 2016 in which she lambasted Boris Johnson for “lying” about the cost of Brexit.
Giving the closing argument for the Remain side, the Scots Tory leader said she "refused to dismiss the experts", who all agree "Britain is better-off in [the EU]”.
According to a Panelbase poll, carried out for Wings Over Scotland in March, Scottish voters would rather have independence than either a no-deal Brexit or Theresa May’s Brexit deal – which Javid hopes to renegotiate before October 31.
READ MORE: Majority of Scots back independence over any Brexit
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday that Brussels would not renegotiate the withdrawal agreement, regardless of who replaces May.
The Panelbase poll also showed support among Scottish voters for staying in the EU rose to 66%, up from the 62% who backed remaining in 2016’s vote.
READ MORE: Brexit: Fresh warning of impact of no deal on Scottish economy
When it comes to Javid’s back-up Brexit plan, economists have predicted the impact of a no-deal departure from the European Union could cause a “significant contraction” in the Scottish economy.
Research by the Fraser of Allander Institute found a “worst-case scenario” – a no-deal outcome with no policy response – would cause an overall economic downturn of 5.5% in the second half of 2019.
A second scenario examined a no-deal Brexit with a policy response, predicting a contraction of 1.9%, leading to -0.2% growth in 2019.
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