Brexit will enhance Scotland's status, insists Theresa May
Scotland's status will be enhanced rather than diminished by the vote to leave the EU, Theresa May has said.
Scotland's status will be enhanced rather than diminished by the vote to leave the EU, Theresa May has said.
Writing in Holyrood magazine ahead of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister said Brexit offers "an exciting chance to forge a new role in the world", with Scotland playing a key part.
Mrs May said the focus of the conference would be on "getting a better deal for the UK abroad" in exiting the European Union (EU).
She said: "As I told the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, when I met her at Bute House - my first visit outside London as Prime Minister, on only my second full day in the job - we will engage fully with and are willing to listen to options from the Scottish Government as we formulate our negotiating position for leaving the EU. There should be no doubt: we will get a deal that works for us all.
"As we strike that deal, we have an exciting chance to forge a new role in the world. Scotland's status will not be diminished by that; it will be enhanced.
"We will go out into the world with the aim of being a leader in global free trade, one that makes the most of our advantages, from the financial expertise of Edinburgh to the shipbuilding prowess of the Clyde and the globally renowned food and drink produce of Scotland's countryside."
With 62% of Scots voting to remain in the EU in June's referendum, Ms Sturgeon has pledged to ''explore all options'' to protect Scotland's interests in Europe and said another referendum on Scottish independence is ''highly likely''.
But Mrs May argued that the Union with the rest of the UK is the one that matters most to Scotland's future.
She said: "The fall in oil prices demonstrates just how crucial that relationship is financially: Scotland was able to weather that downturn because of the UK's broad shoulders.
"Tax revenues from the North Sea collapsed, but funding for Scottish public services remained unscathed. That is how our union works: we share each other's successes when times are good, and shoulder each other's burdens when times are tough.
"There is only one party north of the border which truly understands that and is committed to preserving it: the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party."
Ross Greer MSP, the Scottish Greens' external affairs spokesman, said: "Brazenly, the new Prime Minister appears to suggest that continuing our membership of the EU doesn't 'really matter' to people in Scotland, in spite of 62% of people here voting to remain.
"Scotland didn't vote for Brexit and there's no guarantee we will maintain any of our social and environmental protections if we remain in the UK and are forced to leave Europe.
"What's happened isn't 'exciting', as May puts it, it's reckless. Instead, the Prime Minister should be spelling out her intentions to safeguard the free movement of people and to allow a separate membership deal for Scotland if necessary, one which better reflects what we actually voted for. Otherwise, a referendum on our independence would seem hard to refuse."
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP said: "The Tories inflicted Brexit on Scotland and Labour can't even be bothered to debate it at their conference. It is now clear that if you want a party that opposes a divisive second independence referendum and is committed to protecting the benefits we enjoy as part of the EU, you need to back the Liberal Democrats.
"It is laughable for Theresa May to claim that the Tories are the champions of the union when it is their Brexit gamble that has put it at risk."
A spokesman for the SNP said: "The hypocrisy from Theresa May and her party is jaw-dropping. In June many senior Tories claimed a leave vote would diminish our power and influence, cost millions in lost jobs and investment and reflect a bad deal for Scotland. Now they are trying to pretend that Brexit is the best thing since sliced bread.
"Every area of Scotland voted to remain in the EU, yet the Tories are dragging us to the EU exit door - that is democratically unjustifiable.
"While we welcome any co-operation to ensure Scotland's status within the EU is protected, the rhetoric coming from some hard-line Brexiteers in Theresa May's Cabinet has set alarm bells ringing and underlines the chaos and confusion in a Government without a plan to get us through the turmoil they've created.
"Meanwhile Nicola Sturgeon leads a strong and stable Government with a mandate to grow our economy, create jobs and opportunities and explore all options to keep Scotland in the EU."