THE First Minister has no plans to meet the Prime Minister during his visit to Scotland tomorrow, she has said.
Speaking at today’s Scottish Government Covid-19 briefing, Nicola Sturgeon said she was always happy to meet Boris Johnson but nothing had been arranged.
Sturgeon first read about Johnson’s planned trip to Scotland in the press on her 50th birthday and was not told by the UK Government about his intention to visit.
His trip comes as support for independence sits at about 54% in the polls. Reports suggested ministers had gone into “panic mode” over the numbers and the future of the Union.
READ MORE: 'Gross discourtesy': McLeish lashes out after FM not told about Johnson's visit
Former first minister Henry McLeish said Johnson’s decision not to notify Sturgeon ahead of the visit was an “act of gross discourtesy”.
When asked about Johnson’s plans during her briefing this afternoon, Sturgeon appeared to have a sense of humour over the situation.
She told reporters: “I’ve no plans to meet the Prime Minister tomorrow, I’m always happy to meet the Prime Minister if he wants to do so. I’m always happy to welcome people in Scotland.
“I would ask anybody coming to Scotland, the Prime Minister included, to make sure they follow all of the FACTS advice while they are here and I’m sure he’ll be doing that anyway.”
FACTS is an acronym for: face coverings in enclosed spaces, avoid crowded places, clean your hands and surfaces regularly, two-metre social distancing, and self-isolate and book a test if you develop symptoms of Covid-19.
The key difference Johnson will face during his trip is social distancing rules. In England, the rule was reduced to one-metre-plus – but here in Scotland the only exemptions to the two-metre guide are in premises like pubs and restaurants.
Sturgeon went on: “Look we’re all very focused on the immediate priority of continuing to suppress Covid and I look forward to working with the UK Government on that basis.
“We’ve got our political disagreements, we’ve got disagreements over aspects of Scotland and the UK’s future and I’m sure we’ll continue to discuss those constructively as well.”
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