SCOTLAND’S Constitution Secretary has said ministers will “redouble their efforts” to give people a vote on independence as he revealed the Scottish Government is stockpiling essential medicines in the coming weeks ahead of the Brexit transition period ending.

Michael Russell made a statement to Holyrood as the deadlock on reaching a trade deal continues between Boris Johnson’s government and the EU continues.

Less than three weeks before the UK leaves the single European market on December 31 outstanding differences remain in key areas.

Referring to Scottish independence, Russell said: “Scotland didn’t vote for any of this, we must now do our best to help our fellow citizens through it but we must also redouble our efforts to give the people of Scotland the choice to leave this chaos behind.”

He revealed that the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGRR), the equivalent of the UK Government’s Cobra committee, has been activated on a seven-days-a-week basis and will operate 24 hours a day in the week leading up to December 31.

Meanwhile, a multi-agency co-ordination centre (MACC), headed by Police Scotland, will include representatives of other emergency services, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, local authorities and health boards.

Russell announced the decision to approve these protocols in Holyrood yesterday along with the stockpiling of medical supplies.

About 60 stockpiles have been created for critical and supportive care medicines, in partnership between the devolved administrations and the UK Government.

“It is utterly incredible that some 1629 days since the EU referendum, I should rise to make a statement on the final details of withdrawal with still no clarity about how the UK will trade with the EU in just 23 days’ time,” Russell said.

The Constitution Secretary said the decision for the UK is now “between no deal and a low deal”.

Meanwhile, Johnson dropped plans which would have allowed ministers to break international law in a move which slightly raises the chance of a trade deal being struck being the UK and the EU.

The withdrawal agreement – or divorce deal – came into force in February when the UK left the EU but the protocol is set to be enacted on January 1, 2021 when the transition period ends and the UK leaves the single market and customs union.

Ministers came under fire for providing powers to override the agreement, thereby breaching international law, in the UK Internal Market Bill – in a bid to protect the trading relationship between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The European Commission

President Ursula von der Leyen and US president-elect Joe Biden have both said the UK would not get a deal with either if it broke rules relating to Northern Ireland, designed to keep an open border and ensure the peace process remains secure.

But Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove and his EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic said in a statement yesterday that “an agreement in principle” had been reached on all issues and that the Government would withdraw the controversial clauses of the bill.

They said: “Following intensive and constructive work over the past weeks by the EU and the UK, the two co-chairs can now announce their agreement in principle on all issues, in particular with regard to the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.”

It comes after the Prime Minister said yesterday that trade talks with the bloc were proving “very tricky” and that it was “very, very difficult” to make progress, but that he was hopeful about reaching a deal.

Johnson is due to head to Brussels for talks with Von der Leyen in an attempt to salvage a deal, with time running out before the current trading arrangements expire at the end of the month. It is seen as a make-or-break moment after months of talks led by David Frost and the EU’s Michel Barnier.

Talks have faltered on fishing rights, measures aimed at preventing the UK undercutting the EU on standards and state subsidies, and the way that any deal would be governed.