BORIS Johnson's claim he could block the First Minister from a climate summit due to be held in Glasgow shows he would be "embarrassed" by his environmental record in comparison to Scotland's, a minister has said.
Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse slammed the Prime Minister's comment that he doesn't want Nicola Sturgeon "anywhere near" the major COP26 event - which is expected to draw in 30,000 delegates including world leaders - in a series of tweets.
At a Tory Party conference drinks reception last night, the Prime Minister said: "I’ll tell you what we’ll do. We make sure - with every policy we pursue, with every investment we make in Scotland, then we put a Union flag on it.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson: I want Union flags, not Sturgeon, at summit
“For instance, the COP26 climate change summit that’s going to be held ... the leaders of the entire world will come to Glasgow.
"I guess I don’t mind seeing a Saltire or two on that summit, but I want to see a Union flag - I don’t want to see Nicola Sturgeon anywhere near it, because the Scottish Nationalist Party didn’t secure that summit in Glasgow, it was the United Kingdom Government.”
The real truth behind the pompous, arrogant, unelected & anti-democratic 🤡 Prime Minister’s bluster👇 is he knows he’d be embarrassed by his own Government’s weaker record on the #ClimateEmergency when contrasted with that of Scotland’s First Minister & our Scottish Government. https://t.co/CtaXcKrRUn
— Paul Wheelhouse MSP🏴 (@PaulWheelhouse) September 30, 2019
Wheelhouse created a Twitter thread exposing the "real truth" behind Johnson's rant.
He posted: "The real truth behind the pompous, arrogant, unelected & anti-democratic Prime Minister’s bluster is he knows he’d be embarrassed by his own Government’s weaker record on the #ClimateEmergency when contrasted with that of Scotland’s First Minister & our Scottish Government."
He added the outburst had sent a powerful message to the international community.
Wheelhouse continued: "However, BoJo’s inadvertently sent a powerful message to international community, incl.@UN itself, our partners in @ClimateGroup & #Under2Coalition, @WWFScotland /International NGOs, about progressive Scotland’s treatment within UK & our case for a seat of our own @ the table."
The minister went on: "Barring the @scotgov that created first legally binding climate targets & has now (again) adopted most stringent interim targets & net zero legislation in the World from a key climate conference in our own largest city is not a very bright idea & one that deserves ’s ridicule!
"He is a bully & like all bullies, he is a coward & can’t stand a strong woman or anyone else standing up to him. He also is a walking ego & can’t stomach thought that he would have it exposed how dependent his own Govt is on Scotland’s low carbon progress, e.g. on renewables!"
READ MORE: First Minister hits out at Boris Johnson over summit claim
He added the irony was that the two governments had always tried to show a "united front" on climate issues.
The First Minister's spokesman also slammed the PM's comments earlier, accusing him of acting "so childishly".
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