THE First Minister has welcomed Boris Johnson to Scotland this morning, arguing he highlights one of the “key arguments” for independence.
The Tory leader has travelled north to make the case for the Union amid word the Cabinet is in “full-blown panic mode” over rising support for Scottish independence.
About 54% of people support independence according to the latest polling, while Johnson’s approval rating has plummeted to 99% below Nicola Sturgeon’s.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson claims ‘Union has never been stronger’ ahead of Scottish visit
He is expected to make the economic case for the Union during his visit, saying last night that the coronavirus pandemic has shown the importance of standing “as one United Kingdom”.
While there have been no plans made for Sturgeon and Johnson to meet – the First Minister only found out he was making the trip from media reports on her birthday – she wrote a welcome message for him on Twitter this morning.
Sturgeon posted: “I welcome the PM to Scotland today. One of the key arguments for independence is the ability of Scotland to take our own decisions, rather than having our future decided by politicians we didn’t vote for, taking us down a path we haven’t chosen. His presence highlights that.”
The sentiment of my last tweet neatly illustrated in today’s @thetimes cartoon 😉 pic.twitter.com/8rC84Ga6As
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) July 23, 2020
Her comment was followed by a picture of today’s Times cartoon, which shows Johnson running toward Sturgeon over crumbling letters reading “Union”.
He is reaching out his hand and saying “I’m here to help” as every step crumbles more of the word – Sturgeon is replying “you are helping!”.
Johnson – whose last trip to Scotland was in November when he attended the Scottish Tory manifesto launch in North Queensferry – is due to meet with members of the military during his visit today.
He’ll also meet with Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw.
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