Theresa May’s statement today on the EU withdrawal bill should have been a victory lap – after the government succeeded in getting a clean bill through both Houses. Instead Scottish independence proved a party pooper, as the Prime Minister faced numerous questions in the chamber over Nicola Sturgeon’s plans for ‘indy ref 2’.
Not letting up the pressure, Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, poked fun at the Prime Minister for ‘delaying’ the triggering of Article 50 following Sturgeon’s independence announcement yesterday. When he accused May of failing to raise any Scottish government proposals at her last meeting of the European Council before triggering Article 50, the Prime Minister hit back that the issues relevant to Scotland discussed were jobs, growth and competitiveness.
The exchange came as Sturgeon ramped up the rhetoric north of the border. Scotland’s first minister said that there should be no ‘blocking mechanisms’ to a referendum from Westminster and that plans for the vote ‘must be made in Scotland’. It’s still unclear whether May will try to postpone – or even block – a second referendum. But she is beginning to lay the groundwork for ‘save the union: part 2’. The Guardian reports that May is planning a unionist charm offensive, with a tour of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in an attempt to build consensus before she triggers Article 50 at the end of the month. While it’s unlikely to have any immediate effect on the SNP’s plans, May’s trip does at least suggest that any future pro-union campaign will incorporate the positives of the union — rather than just another case of ‘project fear’.
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