THE SNP have said “no-one in Scotland can ever trust a word the Tories say again” as Nicola Sturgeon’s party unveiled a list of Conservative “lies” ahead of the key vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal today.

Kirsten Oswald, the SNP’s deputy leader at Westminster, accused the Tories of being “guilty of a pack of lies and false promises and claims” over Brexit, which she said had been exposed” by the reality of leaving the European Union.

She set out the following list of Tory claims made about leaving the EU, all of which the SNP said were untrue:

  • The UK’s participation in Erasmus would be protected
  • There would be no special deal for Northern Ireland and no checks at the border
  • The UK would have complete control over fishing
  • The UK would be safer and more secure outside the EU
  • VAT would be scrapped on energy bills
  • Working people would be better off and wages would be higher
  • Red tape would be cut
  • The UK would have an extra £350 million a week to spend
  • Voting against independence would protect Scotland’s EU membership

    Oswald said the hard Tory Brexit deal would cause long-term damage to the economy at the worst possible time – and said the only way to protect Scotland’s interests and place in Europe is to become an independent country.

Scottish Government analysis estimates the kind of Brexit outside the single market and customs union negotiated by Johnson could cut Scotland’s GDP by 6.1% – costing Scotland more than £9 billion, the equivalent of £1600 for every person, by 2030 compared to EU membership.

“The Tories are guilty of a pack of lies, false claims and broken promises, which have now been utterly exposed by the cold, hard reality of the devastating Brexit deal we face. No-one in Scotland can ever trust a word the Tories say again,” said Oswald, the MP for East Renfrewshire.

“Scotland has been completely ignored by Westminster throughout the Brexit process – and we are now being forced to pay a heavy price for Tory lies and incompetence.”

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She added: “Every major Tory Brexit claim has been exposed as a lie. The UK Government’s own analysis shows we will be much poorer and worse off as a result of Brexit – not better off as they claimed. We’ll have our EU benefits stripped away even though they said we’d keep them. Businesses will face added costs, red tape, bureaucracy and barriers to trade – hitting our economy hard.”

She continued: “The Tories promised we would stay in Erasmus but they have taken us out. They said Scotland wouldn’t be at a competitive disadvantage to Northern Ireland but we know that’s not true.

“They said there would be no checks at the border – but that’s nonsense, and they’ve broken all of the big promises they made to our fishing communities, who have said this deal is a betrayal.

“Boris Johnson is infamous for making false claims, but leading Scottish Tories are also breaking their word ... Baroness Ruth Davidson and David Mundell said they would resign rather than back a deal that created different arrangements for Northern Ireland – but she was given a peerage and they have stayed quiet.

“Scotland will not forget this massive Tory sell-out. The Scottish Tories must be held to account at the election in May.”

Oswald said her party would be rejecting Johnson’s deal and fighting to re-join the EU as an independent nation.

Scotland voted by 62% to remain in the EU in 2016, with the country returning the highest percentage to remain of all the four UK nations.

Like Scotland, Northern Ireland voted to remain, but was given a special deal to remain closely linked to the EU.

The First Minister had sought a similar deal for Scotland, but her request was rejected by the UK Government despite EU figures saying it would be open to such an arrangement.

The Scottish Conservatives were approached for comment.