NICOLA Sturgeon has called for a General Election before Christmas in a joint press conference in Westminster with the First Minister of Wales.
The First Minister said: "I want to see a General Election. I would be very happy to see that General Election before Christmas, but the circumstances of that have to be such that it doesn't open the risk of a No-Deal Brexit.
"I think all responsible opposition MPs who want to see an election have a duty to make sure that that is the case."
She added: "I think voters want to see a way out of this and certainly voters in Scotland do."
Sturgeon said the extension "should not just be long enough to scrutinise a bad Bill for a week or two longer".
She added: "It should, in my view, be long enough to allow a General Election or a referendum, or, perhaps more realistically, the former leading to the latter.
"That seems to me to be the only route out of this mess for the UK."
READ MORE: Scottish and Welsh first ministers ask EU to stop Westminster power grab
Her Welsh counterpart Mark Drakeford said he wants a General Election but that he does not think "a position of complete clarity" has been reached.
Sturgeon said of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill: "This is quite simply a bad deal and a bad Bill. It is bad for Scotland, bad for Wales and bad for the UK.
"Indeed, the uniqueness of this event, the first ministers of Wales and Scotland, of different political persuasions, uniting in opposition to this deal is in itself a signal of how bad we believe it to be."
She added: "So, as Welsh Assembly members made clear yesterday, and as I expect members of the Scottish Parliament will also make clear, we do not consent to the EU Withdrawal Bill.
"When that happens, of course, it will be the first time in the history of devolution that both Scotland and Wales will have refused to give legislative consent to a Bill that affects us both.
"The question for the Prime Minister is this – how will he respond to that? And the answer to that for Scotland will have long-term consequences."
Watch her full speech here:
@ScotGovFM and I are now live discussing the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill and how vital it is to have time to properly scrutinise it. https://t.co/wbpUs53iiH
— Mark Drakeford (@fmwales) October 23, 2019
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel