UK Government’s Brexit position dangerous, says Mike Russell

Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, the Cabinet Secretary – who announced on Sunday he would not stand as an MSP again at next year’s Holyrood elections – said such a final deal would be “disruptive”.

Negotiators from the UK and the European Union will meet on Monday for the first round of talks on the future relationship between the two.

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According to its negotiating mandate published last week, the UK Government will push the bloc for a deal similar to the one negotiated with Canada which came into force in 2017.

The deal limits tariffs on exported goods between the bloc and the North American country, as well as increasing export quotas.

However, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier is hoping to persuade the UK team to sign up to a number of level playing field rules which will be set in Brussels, along with few changes in fishing quotas and access to waters for European vessels.

Mr Russell said: “There’s a difference between talking tough and talking in a ludicrous fashion.

“What we’ve had from the negotiating mandate is something so far away from what people thought Brexit would be to be really dangerous.

“I’ll be making a statement in Parliament about this week, but in reality the type of Brexit that the UK is now talking about – which it wants, this is not talking tough, it says it wants a Canada-style trade deal – is very, very bad indeed, very disruptive.

“We know, we actually know, it’s not a guess what damage that will do to the economy and to Scotland and it will cost every single one of us money from now on.”

Over the weekend, Mr Russell announced he was the latest MSP planning to stand down at the next election, saying he will be 72 at the end of the next parliament and that someone younger may be able to do a better job.

He joined SNP colleagues Gail Ross, Stewart Stevenson and James Dornan in announcing plans to quit as party bosses have asked MSPs to confirm if they plan to stand again by Friday.

Green MSP John Finnie, former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and Labour MSP Neil Findlay have also announced plans to leave Holyrood next year.

In a statement released alongside her announcement, Ms Ross said the Scottish Parliament had to work harder to support rural MSPs by instituting video conferencing and remote voting.

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Mr Russell echoed Ms Ross’s calls, saying: “I think the parliament should be looking at this, perhaps the current Presiding Officer should begin this process and a new one should conclude it.

“There may be ways to assist, particularly extreme rural constituencies and those who represent them.

“The parliament has been really good at looking at rurality, it’s been very good at trying to be a ‘family-friendly parliament’, but the job is never done and I think it should continue to be done.”