Onus now on Sturgeon to back Brexit deal

Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to back the new Brexit deal if she is genuine about being against a no-deal scenario.

The UK Government and the EU struck an agreement today for an orderly departure, and MPs will vote on it this weekend.

Now the Scottish Conservatives have said the First Minister must advise her MPs to back the deal, and told Labour to follow suit.

Otherwise, leader Jackson Carlaw said, their previous warnings about the consequences of a no-deal Brexit will be exposed as political game-playing.

He added that if SNP ministers were so keen for Scotland to remain in the EU, a deal agreed by that organisation must be acceptable to them.

Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said:

“Three weeks ago Scottish Conservatives gave our full backing to the Prime Minister as he sought to negotiate and secure a fresh arrangement with our European partners.

“We were told by opposition politicians and many others that it would not happen.

“Today Boris Johnson has secured a deal supported by the other EU27 countries which allows the whole of the UK to leave the EU on October 31 together and in an orderly manner.

“It allows us all to move on.

“For all Nicola Sturgeon's hype about no-deal Brexits and cliff edges, the deal the country needed has been agreed.

“Now the onus is on her, the SNP and all other MPs.

“If they genuinely wish to avoid a no-deal Brexit then they must vote for this deal.

“Both the SNP and Labour have already squandered three chances to vote for a Brexit deal – it would be unforgiveable if they passed up a fourth.

“If the SNP, Labour and the Liberal Democrats fail to support this deal then it will be clear to everyone that they have put their narrow party interests, grievances and ambitions over the best interests of the country and the desire of an overwhelming majority to move on."

No mention of Sturgeon’s so-called priorities in ‘divisive’ conference speech

Nicola Sturgeon failed to give a single mention to her so-called priorities of health and education in her speech to the SNP conference today.

The First Minister has repeatedly said she wants to be judged on her performance on schools and hospitals since she took office five years ago.

Instead, she spent her 45-minute speech talking about Brexit and separation, and confirmed she will demand before the end of the year the powers to hold a second referendum on independence.

The Scottish Conservatives said the speech exposed Ms Sturgeon’s true priorities, which were to “get through conference” and “throw red meat to the hardliners”.

Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said:

“Nicola Sturgeon wants to be judged on health and education, yet she couldn’t spare a single sentence for either during this lengthy and divisive speech.

“Instead, she simply wanted to get through what was a potentially hostile conference with a series of vacuous promises which will never be kept, and throw some red meat to the hardliners.

“Both the NHS and Scotland’s education system are in a dreadful state – a state that has significantly worsened over the 12 years the SNP has been in power.

“You’d think the First Minister would make some kind of effort to explain that, to apologise, or at least set out how she planned to turn things around.

“But she preferred to play to the gallery and say things she knew would go down well in the hall.

“And when she does demand the powers to hold a second unwanted and divisive referendum, the answer should be an unequivocal no.”