John Ferry John Ferry

Nicola Sturgeon’s euro muddle

The First Minister has tied herself in knots

(Credit: Getty images)

The First Minister could not have been clearer. Asked about the possibility of Scotland joining the euro, she said Scotland ‘would not qualify’. ‘I don’t think it is the right option for Scotland,’ she added.

The question was put to her earlier this month at a press conference where she presented her new paper on the economic case for Scotland exiting the UK. It was a significant statement, because new entrants to the European Union must commit to adopting the euro. ‘All EU member states, except Denmark, are required to adopt the euro and join the euro area,’ says the European Commission. 

Unsurprisingly, senior officials in Brussels were not impressed. Speaking on an unnamed basis (EU officials will not allow themselves to be seen to be interfering in UK internal matters), one source said explicitly, ‘No euro, no membership’, according to the Times.

This then led to the First Minister, speaking in the Scottish parliament, seeking to undermine

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