Boris Johnson has called for a renewal of “the ties that bind our United Kingdom” ahead of his first visit to Scotland as prime minister.
During Monday’s visit he will announce £300m of funding for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Ahead of his visit, Johnson described the four-nation union as “the most successful political and economic union in history”.
“So as we prepare for our bright future after Brexit, it’s vital we renew the ties that bind our United Kingdom”, he said.
It comes the day after Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said she would not back his plans for a no-deal Brexit.
Mr Johnson has insisted the UK will leave the EU by 31 October with or without a deal.
During his visit to a Scottish military base, Mr Johnson will set out how the latest “growth deals” plan will help communities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
He is also expected to have meetings with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Ms Davidson in Edinburgh, with his Brexit strategy high on the agenda for both.
In a joint letter with her Welsh counterpart last week, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned “there should be no doubt that the consequences would be catastrophic for all parts of the UK”.
Many, not only in Scotland, believe the new Johnson government’s invigorated drive to pull the UK out of the EU without an agreement may boost the campaign for Scottish independence.
Whereas the United Kingdom as a whole voted by 52% to 48% to leave the EU in the referendum in June 2016, 62% of Scottish voters cast their ballots for remain.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown said earlier this month that the Union was “hanging by a thread”, and that Boris Johnson risked being “the last prime minister of the UK”. He singled out the new prime minister’s unpopularity in Scotland, attacking his “anti-European conservatism, which has got no resonance in Scotland”.
Via BBC/ The Guardian/ Euronews
