THE First Minister accused Jackson Carlaw of “grubby political opportunism” over his attacks on the Scottish Government’s plans to reopen schools at FMQs this afternoon.
Nicola Sturgeon had given a speech on indicative dates for further changes to the coronavirus lockdown, which included plans to reopen hairdressers, pubs and restaurants in July.
Her announcement came a day after the Scottish Government said it was now aiming for pupils to go back to school full-time in August, provided the number of Covid-19 infections remains low. John Swinney’s statement marked a change from the initial plan for blended learning because of the progress fighting coronavirus, ministers said.
READ MORE: Jackson Carlaw's questioning of FM branded 'utter garbage'
There had been a row last week after it emerged some children may only receive one or two days a week in classrooms under blended learning proposals.
Referencing the row, the Scottish Tory leader called on the Government to be clear in its message to reopening businesses.
He said: “We need crystal clear advice from government. We can’t have a repeat of the situation last week when pubs made preparations to open up outdoors only to be told it was all off.”
Sturgeon rejected his claims, saying she had just given a clear statement while putting safety at the heart of all Scottish Government plans.
She went on: “Jackson Carlaw mentions schools. I think the debate on schools sums up the real problem at the heart of the approach Jackson Carlaw is taking.
“When it looked like full-time education would not be safe for children, we developed a contingency, but now that our progress against the virus makes it possible.
“It turns out that’s exactly what Jackson Carlaw asked us to do. Five days after we published the blended learning plan, the Conservatives published a paper in Scotland called Coronavirus and Scotland’s schools on May 26.
“It didn’t demand the return of full-time education, far from it. It called upon us, and I quote, to commit to flexibility on what happens in August.
"It asked us to report monthly from August 11 on the continued need for blended learning, and then it said, and I’m quoting again, only if evidence emerges that it would be safe to move faster to a full reopening should we do so.
“So what the Tories are criticising us for now, it turns out, is exactly what they called on us to do. I think that sums up Jackson Carlaw’s approach.
“It’s not leadership. It’s not putting the safety of kids and country first.
“It is, quite frankly, grubby political opportunism and no serious person should be indulging in that at a time of national crisis.”
Carlaw accused the SNP leader of relying on “pre-scripted abuse from her advisers” in his response.
The pair had an even more heated exchange at last week’s FMQs, when Carlaw pushed Sturgeon on the Government’s schools plan.
Stressing the need to consider safety in decisions on easing lockdown, Sturgeon said the Scottish Tory leader was “incapable of rising to the challenge of a national crisis”.
She told him: “If Jackson Carlaw wants to continue just to snipe from the sidelines, then I will leave him to do that because I have hard work to do and I am going to get on with the hard graft of getting this country through coronavirus, doing that safely, and building the sustainable recovery that we all want.
“I’ll focus on that job and I’ll leave Jackson Carlaw to indulge in whatever makes him happy.”
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