RUTH Davidson has been accused of swapping her principles for some ermine and a title.
Back in 2018, the Scottish Tory leader at Holyrood threatened to resign if Northern Ireland was given special trading terms with the EU.
In a joint letter with David Mundell - the then Scottish secretary - she told Theresa May - the then Prime Minister - that such a move would undermine the Union.
“Having fought just four years ago to keep our country together, the integrity of our United Kingdom remains the single most important issue for us in these negotiations” the pair wrote.
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The letter went on to say: “Any deal that delivers a differentiated settlement for Northern Ireland beyond the differences that already exist on all Ireland basis (eg agriculture), or can be brought under the provisions of the Belfast Agreement, would undermine the integrity of our UK internal market and this United Kingdom.”
Earlier this week, the government agreed special arrangements to give Northern Ireland access to the European single market, allowing them to avoid extra tariffs at the end of the transition period.
Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, said the agreement meant “businesses in Northern Ireland have the opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds: access to the European single market, because there’s no infrastructure on the island of Ireland, and at the same time unfettered access to the rest of the UK market.”
Davidson’s threat to resign was brought up during Thursday’s First Minister by the SNP MSP Joan McAlpine.
She said: “The Westminster Government has said that special arrangements for Brexit provide Northern Ireland with, in the words of Michael Gove, the ‘best of both worlds’.
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“I seem to recall that Ruth Davidson herself previously threatened to resign if Northern Ireland was given a special deal. Like Northern Ireland, Scotland also voted to stay in the European Union, but can the First Minister tell us what special Brexit arrangements the Westminster Government is providing for Scotland?”
Nicola Sturgeon replied: “None is the answer to that last question. The member is right in relation to Ruth Davidson. I'll quote exactly what Ruth Davidson said, she could not support any deal that leads to Northern Ireland having a different relationship with the EU than the rest of the UK beyond what currently exists. Apparently it would undermine the integrity of the UK internal market and of the United Kingdom.
“I can only speculate that it's amazing what the offer of a seat in the House of Lords can do to change somebody's opinion.”
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