TOMORROW will see MPs vote on a new Brexit deal secured by Boris Johnson which First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described as “unacceptable”.
The Prime Minister has said he is “very confident” MPs will back his last-minute Brexit deal despite the DUP ruling out its support.
EU leaders approved the departure agreement hammered out shortly before the key summit began yesterday.
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Turning up the pressure, EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters “there will be no prolongation”, after holding a face-to-face discussion with the PM.
“We have concluded a deal and so there is not an argument for further delay – it has to be done now,” he added.
However, whether any requested extension is granted is not down to Juncker – it requires the consent of the 27 remaining members of the European Council.
European Council president Donald Tusk expressed his “sadness” at the UK’s exit and said “our door will always be open” if it wants to return to the bloc.
Following days of intense negotiations, the PM announced that he had struck a “great new deal” shortly before heading to the Brussels meeting.
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Johnson’s deal must still be passed by a Parliament which has so far proved hostile to Brexit – with the vote on Saturday set to be tight.
The DUP, which has been in regular talks with the PM, cited a series of objections over the integrity of the Union and Northern Ireland’s economy during its emphatic dismissal.
Sturgeon confirmed SNP MPs will not back Boris Johnson’s new Brexit deal, as she insisted it will mean Scotland alone is “treated unfairly” when the UK leaves the EU.
The First Minister said it is “democratically unacceptable” for Scotland to be facing an outcome it did not vote for.
She said it is now “clearer than ever” that the best future for Scotland is as an independent, European nation.
Sturgeon said: “While there remains uncertainty over whether this proposed deal will pass, what is absolutely clear is that it would take Scotland out of the European Union, out of the single market and out of the customs union, against the overwhelming democratic will of the people of Scotland.
“Scotland did not vote for Brexit in any form, and SNP MPs will not vote for Brexit in any form – especially when it is clear that Scotland, alone of the nations of the UK, is being treated unfairly.
“We support efforts to ensure peace and stability on the island of Ireland, in line with the Good Friday Agreement, which must be respected.
“At the same time, it cannot be right that Scotland alone is facing an outcome it did not vote for – that is democratically unacceptable and makes a mockery of claims that the UK is in any way a partnership of equals. The Brexit envisaged by Boris Johnson is one which sees a much looser relationship with the EU when it comes to issues like food standards, environmental protections and workers’ rights.
“That is not the future that I or my Government envisage for Scotland.
“And in the circumstances which now prevail, it is clearer than ever that the best future for Scotland is one as an equal, independent European nation. That is a choice I am determined to ensure is given to the people of Scotland.”
Jeremy Corbyn was also quick to dismiss the PM’s agreement, criticising it for creating a customs border in the Irish sea.
The PM insisted the “great new deal” allows the UK to leave the bloc in the nick of time to satisfy his “do or die” commitment to depart by the current October 31 deadline.
Johnson said that the “anti-democratic” backstop contingency measure to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland had been abolished.
It proved a major sticking point for his predecessor Theresa May whose deal failed to pass the Commons three times.
Another issue in the PM’s proposals was whether EU VAT rates would apply in Northern Ireland. Johnson needs to get a deal approved before the weekend if he is to avoid a major clash over asking for an extension to the current deadline.
The Benn Act passed by No-Deal opponents compels him to ask Brussels for a delay to the end of January, but the PM has repeatedly ruled out taking this course of action.
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