FORMER Scotland Office minister Douglas Ross has been accused of sounding “ridiculous” after opposing the idea of Scottish Border restrictions due to Covid-19 – but backing similar measures in Australia.
Speaking to Good Morning Scotland, Ross claimed it was “reckless” to put people from the rest of the UK off coming to the country by suggesting quarantine rules could be imposed on them.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last week refused to rule out introducing such measures if public health advisers deemed it necessary to do so. Currently, the Scottish Government estimates the level of Covid-19 in England is five times higher than in Scotland.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon: Tory Scottish Border claims are absurd
Northern Ireland has taken a similar stance, warning ahead of a review to international travel regulations that those visiting from the rest of the UK pose “the greatest risk” of bringing Covid-19 with them.
But senior Tories last week accused Sturgeon of using reckless language on the Border issue – and Prime Minister Boris Johnson even denied the existence of the Border altogether.
Sturgeon has consistently said her government’s response to the pandemic is led by public health advice, and has nothing to do with politics or the constitution.
Responding to criticism from Jack and Johnson last week, she told the daily briefing: “What is it that we need to do break the chains of transmission and mitigate against the risk of cases in an area of high transmission coming into an area of lower transmission and then risking outbreaks there. That is not political. That is constitutional. That is public health.”
But Ross, who last month resigned from the Scotland Office in protest over Johnson’s refusal to sack senior adviser Dominic Cummings, has continued to criticise talk of Border measures.
He told the BBC programme: “It is reckless putting people off coming to Scotland at the moment, 70% of tourism in Scotland comes from the rest of the UK.”
In Australia this week, the border between Victoria and New South Wales was closed for the first time in decades due to an outbreak in Melbourne. Ross was asked whether those restrictions could also be considered reckless.
He said: “No. What is reckless is SNP and independence supporters at the borders with masks and flags warning people from England not to enter our country,” referring to a small roadside protest which took place at the weekend.
A Scottish Government source said Ross was “just making himself sound ridiculous”.
They went on: “That is a reckless and deeply irresponsible approach to a public health emergency.”
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