MSPs will be called on to affirm Scotland’s future in the European Union at Holyrood and note proposals in a recent Scottish Government paper.
External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson will lead a Scottish Parliament debate later today, in what he called "an opportunity for this Parliament to affirm that Scotland’s economic, social and political future is best served by being part of the EU".
Robertson will invite Parliament to note the proposals in the Scottish Government paper, An independent Scotland in the EU, the seventh paper in the Building a New Scotland series.
It comes after poll analysis showed most Scots believe leaving the UK and joining the EU would be better for the country.
READ MORE: Brexit: Experts to debate how to keep Scotland's voice alive in Europe
Analysis by expert Alex Scholes – writing for Professor John Curtice’s blog What Scotland Thinks – showed almost every outcome was framed positively for Scotland being an independent country in the EU.
Scholes said the poll, conducted last summer, made it clear Brexit and EU membership would be a key issue at any future independence referendum for Scotland.
Speaking ahead of the debate, Robertson cited analysis by Cambridge Econometrics which has explored the economic impact of the UK leaving the customs union and single market compared to if the UK had stayed in the EU.
READ MORE: Scottish independence activists discuss EU alignment
He said: “The Scottish Parliament repeatedly expressed its support for remaining in the EU and the single market, and yet the people of Scotland and their elected Parliament were ignored time and time again.
“Today’s debate is an opportunity for this Parliament to affirm that Scotland’s economic, social and political future is best served by being part of the EU.
“According to National Institute of Economic and Social Research, the UK economy is 2.5% smaller as a result of Brexit, equating to a cut of around £2.3 billion in public revenues for Scotland. Cambridge Econometrics estimates this damage will continue and reach 10% of gross value added (GVA) by 2035.
“After four years of limited economic growth, restricted trade, record food price inflation and diminished opportunities for young people, the evidence is clear that ‘Brexit isn’t working’, as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan recently said.”
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