THE First Minister has set Theresa May a three-month deadline at the very latest to respond to the options unveiled earlier this week to keep Scotland in the European single market.
Nicola Sturgeon wants to know whether or not the Prime Minister will respond positively to the Scottish Government’s proposals by the time she triggers Article 50, which will begin the two-year irreversible negotiations to exit the bloc. May has said she will begin that process no later than the end of March next year.
The 50-page Scotland’s Place in Europe paper, unveiled by the First Minister on Tuesday, sets out two ways forward: the first would allow the whole of the UK to remain in the single market and the customs union; the second would see Scotland have a special deal, enabling it to remain in the single market, even if the rest of the UK leaves and pursues a so-called hard Brexit.
During a press conference at Bute House after the options paper was published, the First Minister did not give any indication about when she expected a response from May to her proposals.
But yesterday, a Scottish Government spokeswoman indicated she would require to receive a response by the time Article 50 is invoked, if not sooner.
“The Prime Minister has reiterated her pledge to fully consider our proposals, which we welcome. Article 50 is due to be trigged no later than the end of March 2017, and Scottish Government officials and ministers will continue to have discussions with their UK Government counterparts and those of the devolved administrations between now and then,” said a Scottish Government spokeswoman.
“Our specific proposals will now inform meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee in the coming weeks and months.”
The two women are due to meet for the next JMC meeting in January, though no exact date has yet been confirmed. Should May reject the proposals, Sturgeon has made it clear a new referendum on independence would be brought forward as a final way of keeping Scotland in the single market as a sovereign member state.
Her government is currently consulting on a draft Referendum Bill, with the deadline for submissions January 11.
Ross Greer, external affairs spokesman for the Scottish Greens, said the UK Government should provide a detailed response to the options paper at the next JMC meeting in January.
He said if May’s response was negative, she should, in rejecting the First Minister’s proposals, also allow a section 30 order, giving the go-ahead to a new referendum on independence.
“It would be entirely unacceptable for the Prime Minister to trigger Scotland’s exit from the EU without having given full consideration to how Scotland’s Remain vote can be respected, and that must include consenting to the option of a vote on independence,” Greer told The National.
“If the Scottish Government’s proposals are dismissed, it’s hard to see how such a vote can be avoided.”
The First Minister has described independence in Europe as her preferred solution, and the proposals outlined yesterday a “significant compromise” for her government.
“A hard Brexit, taking us out of the EU and the single market, could have a devastating effect on jobs, investment and standards of living, with research suggesting up to 80,000 jobs lost in Scotland and earnings per head £2,000 lower after a decade,” she said on Tuesday.
“[The] paper from the Scottish Government is aimed at avoiding that outcome. Scotland’s Place in Europe is a set of proposals that are detailed and serious, but given the Scottish Government’s belief that independence within the EU is the best option for Scotland, they are also a significant compromise on our part.”
She added: “A material constitutional change has occurred since 2014, and that is why the option of independence must remain on the table – without that option, Scotland would simply have to accept the inevitability of whatever decisions the UK Government makes, no matter how damaging to Scotland’s interests.”
Responding to a deadline being met by the end of March, a UK government spokesman said: “We welcome the publication of the Scottish Government’s paper and will give it careful consideration.
“We are engaging closely with all the devolved administrations through the JMC process and this contribution from the Scottish Government will feed into that constructive work.
“As we leave the EU, we are committed to securing a deal that works for all parts of the UK, including Scotland, and for the UK as a whole.
“The best way to achieve this is for all four governments to work together.”
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