THERE have been no advantages to leaving the European Union, the Constitution Secretary has said on the second anniversary of the end of the Brexit transition period.
Angus Robertson pointed to recent studies by the London School of Economics which found food bills are £210 higher per household per year as a result of tariffs imposed by leaving the bloc, as well as an Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) study which predicted long-term productivity to be 4% lower as a result of Brexit.
The SNP minister said the Scottish Government remained committed to holding another referendum on Scottish independence and would continue to publish prospectus papers in the new year.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon outlines pledges to Scottish people in new year address
The UK Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that Scotland does not have the power to hold a vote on its constitutional future without Westminster consent.
“The damages caused by Brexit just continue to mount. In the two years since the end of the transition period, we have seen no advantages to leaving the European Union,” he said.
Robertson added the UK economy was “fundamentally on the wrong path”, with “no real alternative on offer”.
“The Scottish Government is committed to giving the people of Scotland a choice about the future they want – a greener, wealthier and fairer economy within the European Union, or a sluggish, stagnating economy outside of the European Union.
“We will continue to publish the Building a New Scotland series of prospectus papers to ensure people can make that informed choice."
He added: “Businesses are suffering from lower exports to the EU, labour shortages and recruitment challenges.
“These issues are also affecting our NHS, with new research by the Nuffield Trust showing that lower EU migration is exacerbating staff shortages.
“Scotland is and always has been a proud European nation and we’re determined to continue to be an active and constructive participant on EU matters, which will ease the process of Scotland’s future return to the EU.
“This is in stark contrast to the approach being taken by the UK Government, intent on undermining retained EU law which will be hugely damaging to people and businesses in Scotland.”
The Nuffield Trust said in a report in November “it appears likely that the decision to leave the EU in 2016 plays a role”, but added that “deeper research into drivers of migration is needed”.
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