WILL Downing Street listen to the Scottish Government’s Brexit proposals? Scottish ministers, as they prepare to publish their plans today, were left scratching their heads after Theresa May sent out mixed messages.
During her statement to the Commons on last week’s meeting of the European Council, the Prime Minister said she would, of course, read with interest what was being proposed by the First Minister.
“I took a call from the First Minister this morning, where I assured her we will look very seriously at the proposals that the Scottish Government is bringing forward,” May said. “I welcome the fact that they have been looking at their priorities. We have been encouraging all the devolved administrations to look at their priorities so that they can be taken into account in the UK negotiations on leaving the European Union.”
Earlier, a Downing Street spokesman had flat out ruled Scotland having a separate deal, saying the UK Government was strongly opposed to such a possibility.
“We are committed to leaving the European Union and getting a deal that works for the UK as a whole,” he told journalists at a lobby briefing.
“We are of the opinion that we will get the best deal for the UK if the UK is unified in its response. The referendum decision was taken by the UK as a whole. We will leave the European Union as a whole.”
Speaking ahead of the “Scotland’s Place in Europe” option paper being released by the Scottish Government today, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Being part of the European single market is vital for Scotland’s future economic wellbeing. And losing our place in the single market would be potentially devastating to our long-term prosperity, to jobs, investment and people’s livelihoods.
“It would end our current status as part of the world’s biggest free trade area, a market around eight times bigger than the UK’s alone, and would have a profound and long-lasting impact on our national economic standing and our standards of living.
“Analysis shows the cost to our economy of a hard Brexit, outside the single market, could be around £11 billion a year by 2030, with an independent forecast of 80,000 lost jobs in Scotland and a cut in average earnings of around £2,000 per person after a decade.
“But it is not just the loss of existing jobs and investment that would be at stake. In addition, there is the prospect of lost investment and employment – money and jobs which our place in the single market would ensure but which would otherwise never materialise.
“That is why the paper we publish today is centred on retaining our place in the single market – and why it is so important Scotland avoids the hard Brexit threatened by the right-wing Brexiteers in the Tory party.”
During her statement May also seemed to suggest the UK would continue to pay into the EU after Brexit. Europhobic right-wing Tory MP Philip Davies, asked May to “make a pledge ” not to pay any more money into the EU budget.
“Surely even contemplating that will be contemplating betraying what people voted for?” he hissed.
May replied: “What’s important is that, when we leave the European Union, people want to ensure that it’s the British government that decides how taxpayers’ money is spent.”
Chancellor Philip Hammond and other formerly Remain supporting cabinet colleagues have long been calling for a transitional Brexit deal, where the UK pays into the EU for access to the single market, while Brexit deals are negotiated.
Hardline Brexiteer cabinet member Liam Fox has also suggested he would support an “implementation phase”.
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