THE PRIME Minister has criticised “foolish” plans to potentially impose a trade barrier between Scotland and Englad as he ignored renewed calls for the SNP to seek independence.

Yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon launched the first part of her updated case for Scottish independence and hit out at the UK Government for refusing so far to grant a re-run of the 2014 referendum to take place.

She admitted there a hard trade border with England is a likely prospect of separation if an independent Scotland was to join the EU.

The First Minister said “there will be customs and regulatory issues on trade”, but insisted “the benefits of being in the single market outweigh the challenges”.

But Boris Johnson has waved away renewed appeals and warned that there are “other subjects in the national conversation right now” that should be prioritised.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, highlighted the First Minister launching her “conversation on Scotland’s right to choose an independent future”.

He said: “When we look at nations like Iceland, Ireland, Norway and Denmark, it is clear that our neighbours are outperforming the United Kingdom – they deliver greater income and equality, lower poverty rates, higher productivity, social mobility, and business investment.

“The list goes on and on.”

Mr Blackford added: “The evidence is overwhelming. Scotland is being held back by Westminster.

“Prime Minister all those countries can use the powers of independence to create wealthier, fairer and greener societies. Why not Scotland?”

But Mr Jonhson insisted “there are other subjects in the national conversation right now”.

He added: “They include what we're doing to come through the aftershocks of Covid with the strongest jobs-led recovery of any European economy.

“As I said 650,000 more people across the whole of the UK in payrolled employment than there were before the pandemic began.

“And I think it has something to do with national conversation is investment into our whole country investment in Scotland a great investment across the whole of the UK...in the tech sector and the whole of the UK standing strong together on the international stage and sticking up for the Ukrainians.

“I think that some of the things that the country is also talking about.”

But Mr Blackford stressed that Scotland wants to leave the United Kingdom, which he claimed was failing the country.

He said: “The Prime Minister can afford to live in his own world, his own little Britain, but people have to live with the reality of a failing Westminster system, a cost-of-living crisis worse in the UK than any other G7 country and inflation rate and double that of France.”

The SNP Westminster leader highlighted the UK having “the second worst economic growth forecast in the G20 next to only sanctioned Russia” as well as “a threat to the trade war with our European friends, triggered by a law-breaking Prime Minister”.

He added: “That is not a vision for the future of Scotland.

“Our nation is big enough, rich enough and smart enough.

“Isn't it the case, Prime Minister, that Scotland simply can't afford to remain trapped in the failing Westminster system? Scotland wants to get on.”

But Mr Johnson insisted that “the figures speak for themselves”.

He said: “The UK has record numbers of people in payroll employment, that’s an astounding thing when you consider where we were during the pandemic.

“That was because of the UK working well together, as he will remember with a vaccine rollout and with the testing which Scotland and the rest of the country cooperated brilliantly.“

Turning to Mr Blackford’s warning over the prospect of a “trade war” with the EU over stuttering Brexit negotiations, the Prime Minister suggested he was attempting to halt a trade barrier between Great Britain and Northern Ireland - instead pointing the finger at the Scottish Government’s plans for independence.

He said: ”What could be more foolish than a project that actually envisages trade barriers within part of the United Kingdom.

“That's what we're trying to break down.”