Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, yesterday (20 December) reminded that her country wanted to stay part of the European Union’s single market after the United Kingdom leaves the bloc. Ms. Sturgeon is moreover determined to protect Scottish interests following the UK’s Brexit. Yesterday (20 December), she published a paper with a list of demands that her country has. The top demand is that the whole country should remain in the EU and if the UK does leave, Scotland should still be part of the single market.
“We are determined to maintain Scotland’s current position in the European single market,” Ms. Sturgeon reiterated and further stressed that “there has to be a way to effectively square the circle (between the two results). Will this be easy? No… but I believe this is achievable”. Ms. Sturgeon referred to the majority of Scottish voters who opted for staying in the EU in the Brexit referendum, which stood in a stark contrast to the UK’s overall result saying “no“ to the EU. “First and foremost, this is about us trying to convince the UK that these are proposals worthy of being considered,“ she said and added that “we believe our practical solutions are reasonable and in the best interests of Scotland, in a context that will be complex and unprecedented whatever the ultimate outcome.”
Ms. Sturgeon also said that a second referendum on Scottish independence remains on the table, arguing that “Brexit is a problem not of Scotland’s making.” She also said that her country needed a major review of its devolution settlement and that power over immigration is very important to protect Scottish interests. Scotland seeks its own control of migration policy to support its ageing population and sparsely populated rural areas.
