The UK Government has warned the SNP to cease its march towards a second independence referendum with Brexit "doom-mongering" and embrace the "opportunities" of leaving the European Union (EU).
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon's warnings of a "lost decade" after Brexit are becoming "increasingly alarmist".
In a speech in Glasgow today, Mr Mundell said Brexit will herald "a phase full of opportunity for Scotland within the UK".
In advance extracts, he called for "a positive and responsible approach from those in positions of responsibility".
Read more: Alex Salmond: Nicola Sturgeon will hold second independence referendum in 2018
He said: "Doom-mongering warnings of a 'lost decade' and 'deep and severe' damage are becoming increasingly alarmist.
"Objective observers might wonder if the aim is to provide bracingly frank analysis or to try and talk up the challenges of Brexit in the hope of making Scottish independence seem less of a risk.
"There is no certainty that countries with their own independence movements to consider, like Spain or Romania, would look favourably on an application from an independent Scotland.
"But even assuming hypothetically that accession were a viable option, an independent Scotland's membership as a new joiner would not be an attractive prospect."
Read more: Juncker warns UK: No compromise on free movement of people
Scotland would need to join the euro, pay more towards the EU budget and open its borders to EU migration, potentially threatening free travel within the UK, he warned.
"From being a strong voice within the third largest member state, Scotland would instead be one of the EU's smallest members," he said.
Mr Mundell said the arguments for Scotland remaining in the United Kingdom are stronger than ever, nearly two years to the day since the referendum in 2014.
"I do not think that the UK's vote to leave the European Union does anything substantial to weaken the argument for the UK," he said.
"It certainly does not make Scottish independence any more attractive, viable or beneficial a prospect than it was in 2014. Indeed quite the reverse."
He added: "The vital Union for Scotland's interests remains the United Kingdom and I believe we are entering a phase full of opportunity for Scotland within the UK.
"First, because of the fundamental strengths of the United Kingdom, which have endured for centuries.
"There are the broad shoulders of the world's fifth-largest economy and the pooling and sharing of resources across its constituent parts.
"It is the UK's fundamental stability, even in the context of Brexit, which makes the case for the Union so compelling."
Read more: Theresa May could start formal Brexit process by February, says Donald Tusk
Michael Russell, minister for UK negotiations on Scotland's place in Europe, said: "David Mundell represents a Tory government which the people of Scotland overwhelmingly did not vote for, trying to sell them an EU referendum result that they overwhelmingly did not vote for - and these comments would be laughable were they not so ridiculous.
"Just a few months ago Mr Mundell, Ruth Davidson and many other Tories warned us of the disastrous consequences of leaving the EU - yet now they try and pretend that the UK offers some sort of stability or certainty for Scotland.
"So, rather than trying to insult the intelligence of the people of Scotland, perhaps Mr Mundell could use his speech today to justify why he thinks they should be dragged out of the EU - given that every single area of Scotland voted to Remain."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel