LONDON (Reuters) – The Scottish National Independence Party (SNP) demanded on Sunday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson pay billions of pounds in compensation to Scotland for rising costs and stopping Brexit.
Brexit stretched the bonds that unite the UK: England and Wales voted to leave, but London, Northern Ireland and Scotland voted to stay.
The SNP, which wants Scotland’s independence and is pushing for a second referendum, said Scottish fishermen faced serious problems due to Brexit.
Johnson’s conservatives “must apologize to Scottish companies and pay compensation to Scotland for the long-term damage they are doing to our economy – costing us billions in loss of trade and growth,” said Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader in the British parliament.
Blackford called Brexit “an unnecessary act of economic vandalism, which was inflicted against Scotland’s will”.
“The UK government must now provide an urgent package of billions in compensation to Scotland to mitigate the lasting damage from Brexit caused to Scottish businesses, industries and communities,” he said.
Many Scottish fishermen halted exports to European Union markets after the post-Brexit bureaucracy destroyed the system that used to place fresh crayfish and scallops in French stores just over a day after the harvest.
Fishermen across the UK accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of treason after he promised to regain control of British waters. With little new control and little access to customer markets, many are desperate.
Scots voted 55-45 percent against independence in a 2014 referendum, but Brexit and the British government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis have strengthened support for secession, with most polls now showing a majority favorable to rupture.
In the 2016 Brexit referendum, Scotland voted 62-38 to stay in the European Union, while the UK as a whole voted 52-48 to leave.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Michael Holden)