Prime Minister Boris Johnson has renewed attacks on campaigners pushing for Scottish independence, saying he will “strain every nerve” to keep the UK together.
Although Scotland voted against independence in its 2014 referendum, the issue has maintained prominence, with many campaigners pushing to revisit the question after Britain leaves the EU.
Writing in Friday’s Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson insisted there would be no reason for Scotland to leave a post-Brexit UK, as he detailed a major boost in funding to assist Scottish farmers.
“No greater responsibility rests upon the Prime Minister than safeguarding and strengthening our Union and all it represents,” Mr Johnson wrote, adding he had changed the title of his office, to “Prime Minister of the UK and Minister for the Union” – to reflect this.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson suffers devastating blow as brother Jo quits
“The red, white and blue of our Union Flag symbolises everything we have achieved together as the most successful political and economic union in modern history.
“People across the world see a country that stands for freedom, democracy and the rule of law. They admire the institutions we have created and nurtured.”
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with Boris Johnson (PA)
Mr Johnson said such achievements were gained not by England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland individually, but by “the combined genius of our peoples”.
“I find it hard to comprehend why anyone would wish to break apart a successful country, tear the cross of St Andrew out of the Union Flag and draw an international frontier across our island,” he wrote.
“As Minister for the Union, I will strain every nerve and sinew to strengthen and preserve all that we prize and cherish – and doggedly resist those who would seek to wrest us apart.”
Just published a Bill to set the rules for an independence referendum – to allow the Scottish people to choose our own future rather than having a Brexit future imposed on us. @Feorlean will update @ScotParl later on it and our plans for cross party talks and a Citizens’ Assembly
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) May 29, 2019
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has demanded Holyrood be given the power to hold a second legally binding Scottish independence referendum.
READ MORE: Pro-Remain electoral pact is needed to stop a hard Brexit
With the Scottish Government having already brought forward legislation that could pave the way for such a vote, the First Minister confirmed earlier this week that she will “seek agreement to the transfer of power that will put the referendum beyond legal challenge”.
Setting out her Programme of Government, Ms Sturgeon put her opponents on notice, saying: “Let me by crystal clear today – the SNP will put Scotland’s opposition to Brexit and our right to choose independence at the very heart of that contest.”
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