Scottish leader Sturgeon tells EU 'we hope to join you again'

LONDON • Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday told the EU that "we hope to join you again soon" as an independent nation, following Britain's full departure from the bloc.

"As an independent member of the European Union, Scotland would be a partner and a bridge-builder," she wrote on her party's website.

A comfortable majority of Scots voted to remain in the EU during the 2016 Brexit referendum, giving fresh impetus to the movement pushing for Scotland to leave the United Kingdom.

After losing the 2014 independence vote, Ms Sturgeon, head of the Scottish National Party (SNP), is spearheading the push for another referendum and hopes to rejoin the EU should that happen.

"More and more people in Scotland believe our aspirations can best be met by continuing to contribute to the shared endeavour and solidarity that the EU represents," she wrote.

"Because of Brexit, we can now only do this as an independent member state in our own right.

"We didn't want to leave and we hope to join you again soon as an equal partner," she added.

Recent opinion polls have shown consistent support for independence, with the coronavirus outbreak further driving a wedge between the devolved government and London.

But readmission to the EU would not be a formality, with Scotland running a heavy annual fiscal deficit.

Ms Sturgeon would also have to rely on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreeing to a referendum in the first place.

He has ruled out such a vote but the SNP will likely claim a mandate and heap pressure on him should the party perform well in upcoming local elections.

Despite calling it a once in a generation vote in 2014, Ms Sturgeon argues that the Brexit vote and Britain's full departure from the bloc's single market and Customs union have changed the game.

"We are now faced with a hard Brexit against our will, at the worst possible time in the middle of a pandemic and economic recession," she said yesterday.

"For too long, successive UK governments have taken Scotland in the wrong direction, culminating in Brexit. It's no wonder so many people in Scotland have had enough," she added.

In Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, resident Zoe Stewart said she has never felt so out of touch with the rest of the country.

"I think it's really sad that we're leaving. I don't want to leave the EU," Ms Stewart, who was one of the 62 per cent of Scots who voted against Brexit, said.

"I think we should go for it, independence," she said, raising a fist and smiling.

According to a poll conducted by Savanta ComRes for The Scotsman newspaper in the middle of last month, 58 per cent of Scots now support a break with the UK - an all-time high.

"It is very difficult to detect a trend. It fluctuates. The first part of 2020 was roughly 50/50," said professor of territorial politics Nicola McEwen at the University of Edinburgh.

The second half of the year showed a majority of up to 59 per cent backing independence, "mainly on the backdrop of Covid-19", she added.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE