Claws out for Boris: PM slaps down Nicola Sturgeon and insists Covid would have been 'disaster' for Scotland if it had been independent - as he is met by masked protesters demanding a second referendum on first stop of whistlestop tour
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Scotland today for first time since the 2019 general election campaign
- Mr Johnson used visit to reject Nicola Sturgeon's calls for rerun of 2014 Scottish independence referendum
- The PM suggested not enough time had passed since 2014 to require that another border poll take place
- Mr Johnson was immediately greeted by pro-independence campaigners upon his arrival in Scotland today
- Overnight the PM had claimed the Union saved 900,000 Scottish jobs during the coronavirus pandemic
- Furious Ms Sturgeon hit back and accused PM of 'championing and celebrating a pandemic' for political gain
Boris Johnson today told Nicola Sturgeon that nowhere near enough time has passed since the 2014 Scottish independence referendum to require a rerun as he visited Scotland for the first time since the general election.
Mr Johnson, who was greeted by pro-independence campaigners as soon as he arrived north of the border this morning, said the 'Union is a fantastically strong institution' as he outright rejected the SNP leader's demand for another border poll.
The Prime Minister reminded Ms Sturgeon that the vote six years ago was billed as a 'once in a generation' event.
He said: ‘That is not a generation by any computation and I think what people really want to do is see our whole country coming back strongly together and that is what we are going to do.’
Overnight Mr Johnson had suggested the coronavirus lockdown 'could have spelled disaster' for Scotland if it was an independent country.
He said it was the UK's 'massive purchasing power' that had boosted the supply of PPE in Scottish hospitals and would mean access to 'millions of doses of promising vaccines'.
Mr Johnson's comments prompted a furious response from Ms Sturgeon who accused the PM of 'championing and celebrating a pandemic' in order to support a 'political case' for the Union.
The Scottish First Minister said that if she was in Mr Johnson's shoes she would not be out 'campaigning' and that 'none of us should be crowing about this pandemic in a political sense'.
Mr Johnson had already sparked SNP anger overnight after he claimed the Union had saved 900,000 Scottish jobs during the crisis and its 'sheer might... has been proven once again' by the pandemic.
The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford suggested the PM viewed Scotland as a minor partner in the United Kingdom and believed it is 'too wee, too poor or too stupid' to cope on its own.
A number of recent opinion polls showed that support for Scottish independence is now more popular than staying part of the UK.
Boris Johnson today visited Scotland for the first time since the 2019 general election campaign, starting in Stromness in Orkney
The PM, pictured holding crabs in Stromness Harbour, used the trip to reject Nicola Sturgeon's demand for a second Scottish independence referendum
Mr Johnson said that 'what people really want to do is see our whole country coming back strongly together and that is what we are going to do.’
Mr Johnson was immediately greeted by pro-independence protesters upon his arrival north of the border this morning
During his visit today, Mr Johnson met with businesses hit by the coronavirus outbreak and visited military staff to thank them for their efforts during the crisis.
However, in a sign of growing tensions between Downing Street and Holyrood, there were no plans for Mr Johnson to meet with Ms Sturgeon despite her saying yesterday that she was willing to see the PM.
The SNP leader has called for another Scottish independence vote to take place this year but Mr Johnson has repeatedly ruled it out.
Today he made clear he believes not enough time has passed to require another vote.
He said: 'We had a referendum in 2014. It was decisive, it was I think by common consent a once in a generation event and what we have seen throughout this crisis is the importance of the strength of Union in dealing with certain crucial, crucial things.
‘Supporting people through the furlough scheme, the work of the army and the armed services in testing, in moving people around.
‘Now of course through Barnett consequentials we have put another £250m into the NHS in Scotland to make sure we are ready for the winter because we have got to be clear that this thing has not gone away.'
Pushed on whether he believed an independent Scotland could have tackled the coronavirus crisis on its own, Mr Johnson said: 'What I am saying is the Union is a fantastically strong institution, it has helped our country through thick and thin, it is very, very valuable in terms of the support we have been able to give to everybody throughout all corners of the UK and we had a referendum on breaking up the Union a few years ago, I think only six years ago.
‘That is not a generation by any computation and I think what people really want to do is see our whole country coming back strongly together and that is what we are going to do.’
Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Johnson had said: 'When I stood on the steps of Downing Street one year ago, I pledged to be a Prime Minister for every corner of the United Kingdom.
'Whether you are from East Kilbride or Dumfries, Motherwell or Paisley, I promised to level up across Britain and close the opportunity gap.
'The last six months have shown exactly why the historic and heartfelt bond that ties the four nations of our country together is so important and the sheer might of our union has been proven once again.'
Mr Johnson's comments on the Union prompted a pointed response from Ms Sturgeon who told her daily coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh: 'I just don’t think any of us should be championing and celebrating a pandemic that has taken thousands of lives as some example of the pre-existing political case we want to make.’
She added: ‘Campaigning right now is not my priority. Boris Johnson has every right to be on a campaign visit to Scotland today. In his shoes, it is not how I would be choosing to spend my time given what we are facing right now.
‘People can make up their own minds about these things and can make up their own minds about where they think the decisions we are having to take right now are best taken.
‘But none of us should be crowing about this pandemic in a political sense is my honest opinion.’
A claim by Mr Johnson that being part of the UK had saved 900,000 Scottish jobs during the pandemic had earlier provoked the ire of Mr Blackford.
He told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: 'I think he's going to find that this message is going to go down particularly badly in Scotland.
'Is he really saying that any other small nation in Europe and any other part of the world doesn't have the capability to deal with the Covid crisis?
Scotland's coronavirus billions from UK coffers
Scotland has received billions of pounds from the British Government to tackle coronavirus, as well as support to prop up almost a million jobs.
Earlier this month Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the country had received an additional £4.6billion as part of his UK-wide scheme to stave off the worst economic impact of the pandemic.
The payout was determined using the Barnett Formula, a convention used since the late 1970s to pay a grant to devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Its aim is to ensure they receive a proportionate share of of public spending despite having far smaller populations than England.
However, critics say that the way it is calculated means that Scotland gets more than its fair share of UK taxpayer cash.
Since devolution Scotland has its own powers to set its own tax levels and generate its own income.
Even Joel Barnett, Who created it, has called for it to be scrapped.
In addition to the coronavirus cash, the Chancellor's Job Retention Scheme (JRS) has propped up 736,500 Scottish workers. Additionally Government figures show that it has spend £449 million on supporting 155,000 self-employed people via the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
I think the days of telling Scotland that we are either too wee, too poor or too stupid really is over.
'I think what we've demonstrated over the past two months in the areas of devolved responsibility and of public health is that the leadership that has been shown by our First Minister (Nicola Sturgeon) is in sharp contrast with the bluster we have seen from Boris Johnson.'
As well as the jobs claim, Mr Johnson has today pledged £50 million for Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles to develop the economy of the islands as part of a growth deal. He began his visit at Stromness Harbour in Orkney.
The Scottish Government said it will invest the same amount in the islands, meaning every area in Scotland will now receive funding from the joint UK and Scottish government initiatives.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis today insisted the Government was right to suggest that Scotland was only able to weather the coronavirus impact due to the 'strength of the Union'.
He told the BBC: 'The reason we were able to put such massive support in for nearly the one million people whose jobs were protected in Scotland - the £4.6 billion they had from the Treasury, £1.6 billion and half a million jobs roughly for Northern Ireland, similar in Wales as well - that's because we had the strength of the Union, all four nations together.'
Asked whether he was suggesting that an independent Scotland could not have bailed out businesses and jobs during the pandemic, Mr Lewis said: 'I'm absolutely being very clear that yes, we as a UK were able to put in place unprecedented support that the Chancellor was able to put in place for businesses, individuals, because we are part of an entire United Kingdom.'
Mr Johnson and Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack (pictured left), speak to Karl Adamson as they look at crabs caught on the Carvela at Stromness Harbour today
Nicola Sturgeon told her daily coronavirus briefing that 'none of us should be crowing about this pandemic in a political sense' as she hit back at Mr Johnson
Earlier today the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford said 'the days of telling Scotland that we are either too wee, too poor or too stupid really is over'
On the issue of polls showing support for Scottish independence, Mr Lewis added: 'We should all be very wary of getting too driven by polling, we have seen a few interesting results contrasting to what polling has said over the past few years.'
Ms Sturgeon tweeted this morning to suggest that Mr Johnson's trip to Scotland would actually help the fight for independence.
She said: 'One of the key arguments for independence is the ability of Scotland to take our own decisions, rather than having our future decided by politicians we didn't vote for, taking us down a path we haven't chosen. His presence highlights that.'
But the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Jackson Carlaw, hit back and accused Ms Sturgeon of 'refighting arguments the SNP lost in the largest participative vote in Scotland's history'.
He said: 'She's obsessed. Scotland chose a future and a path in the UK. No SNP spin alters facts - it's the strength of Great Britain protecting jobs and energising recovery.'
The Prime Minister's visit, as he prepares for his one year anniversary in Downing Street, comes after a surge in poll support for Scottish independence in recent months.
Two Panelbase surveys recently reported that 54 per cent of respondents would like to see Scotland split from the UK.
The same polls predicted the SNP will win a majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament at next year's election.
Scotland voted against becoming an independent nation by 55 per cent to 45 per cent at a referendum in 2014.
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