Dugdale: "Sturgeon must focus on securing best Brexit deal for all in Scotland"
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale is urging the First Minister to negotiate on behalf of all the people of Scotland, not just those who support independence, when she meets the Prime Minister for Brexit talks.
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale is urging the First Minister to negotiate on behalf of all the people of Scotland, not just those who support independence, when she meets the Prime Minister for Brexit talks.
In a letter to Nicola Sturgeon Ms Dugdale sets out the five guiding principles that Scottish Labour believes should inform the Scottish Government's negotiating stance on Brexit.
They include maintaining free access to the EU single market and maintaining free access to the UK single market.
She also said that Ms Sturgeon's focus should be on securing the best possible deal for Scotland on Brexit, not "laying the groundwork'' for another Scottish independence referendum.
The First Minister will meet the Prime Minister in London tomorrow for talks on the UK leaving the EU.
Ms Dugdale said: "As the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon is negotiating on behalf of people throughout Scotland. "That should be at the forefront of her mind throughout the Brexit negotiations.
"That means she must speak for all the people of Scotland, not just the minority of people who support Scottish independence.
"The First Minister has my full support in efforts to secure the best possible deal for Scotland. The best deal will allow us to retain what is best about our relationship with the EU while remaining an integral part of the UK.
"The results of the independence referendum in September 2014 and the Brexit referendum in June 2016 have provided the Scottish Government with a dual mandate: to keep Scotland in the UK with a close and productive relationship with the EU.''
In her letter Ms Dugdale states that the other guiding principles should be full protection of the rights of EU citizens resident in Scotland and securing repatriation of powers from Brussels to Scotland in areas such as agriculture, fisheries and environmental policy.
She said that maintaining Scotland's fiscal, political and currency union with the rest of the UK should also be a key principle.
The Scottish Labour leader wrote: "The results of the Scottish Independence referendum in September 2014 and the Brexit referendum in June 2016 have provided the Scottish Government with a dual mandate: to keep Scotland in the UK with a close and productive relationship with the EU.
"With Scotland's growth already anaemic and Brexit casting a long shadow over our future prospects, we need stability, certainty, and decisive action from governments across the UK.
"What we do not need is damaging and divisive speculation over Scotland's constitutional future. "I trust, therefore, that your overwhelming focus in these negotiations will be on securing the best possible deal for Scotland on Brexit, not on laying the groundwork for another Scottish independence referendum.''