Boris Johnson tells Scots tempted by independence pandemic shows 'great benefits' of UK cooperation

Boris Johnson has told Scots tempted by independence the pandemic has demonstrated "the great benefits of cooperation" across the UK - after Nicola Sturgeon urged him to cancel his trip north of the Border.

Speaking ahead of a visit to Scotland, the Prime Minister highlighted how the home nations have "pulled together to defeat the virus" and argued the benefits of cooperation had "never been clearer."

He said the UK Government was helping Scotland prepare for the "strongest possible recovery from the virus" by providing furlough, huge supplies of vaccines and support from the Armed Forces.

In a coded criticism of Nicola Sturgeon's continued demands for an independence referendum, Mr Johnson said that "mutual cooperation across the UK throughout this pandemic is exactly what the people of Scotland expect and it is what I have been focussed on."

But his call for cross-Border unity came only hours after Ms Sturgeon urged him to reconsider his visit, saying the journey was not "essential" and could encourage people to break Covid travel restrictions.

She insisted the Prime Minister was "not unwelcome" and she was not telling him to "stay away", before arguing his visit could be justified within coronavirus travel rules.

While she said she was sure he would not break any laws, she said "Boris Johnson travelling from London to wherever in Scotland" did not meet the "essential" benchmark needed to carry out such a journey.

She vehemently rejected the argument that Mr Johnson has an important figurehead role to play highlighting progress on vaccine development and roll-out in the UK, to boost public morale.

But Downing Street said it is a "fundamental part" of the Prime Minister's job description to be the UK Government's "physical representative" and to make himself "visible and accessible."

It is thought Mr Johnson could visit a vaccination centre, highlighting the UK Government handing over almost a million doses to Ms Sturgeon's SNP administration to distribute to Scots.

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The Prime Minister hit out at the SNP's "dithering and delay" over the vaccine roll-out north of the Border, which is lagging far behind England's.

Ms Sturgeon also faced questions over the conduct of one of her own MPs, Kenny MacAskill, after it emerged he made two 340-mile round trips between his East Lothian constituency and his second home in Moray.

She said she had asked SNP whips to provide her with an explanation for the trips by the former Scottish Justice Secretary. The SNP said the MP was living in Moray but had made the journeys for two medical-related appointments.

The Prime Minister's visit to Scotland, his first since holidaying on the west coast last summer, follow a series of opinion polls showing majority support for separation and Ms Sturgeon threatening a wildcat independence referendum if he does not give her the powers for one.

Highlighting the benefits of cooperation, Mr Johnson said: "We have pulled together to defeat the virus, providing £8.6bn to the Scottish Government to support public services whilst also protecting the jobs of more than 930,000 citizens in Scotland.

“We have a vaccine programme developed in labs in Oxford being administered across the United Kingdom by our Armed Forces, who are helping to establish 80 new vaccine centres across Scotland. That’s how we are delivering for the people of Scotland so we can ensure the strongest possible recovery from the virus."

He added: "The people of the UK have stood together during this pandemic: from our doctors and nurses in our hospitals to our shop workers, scientists, lorry drivers and teachers – working together as one truly United Kingdom is the best way to build our Covid recovery.”

A further 24,192 Scots were given their first dose on Tuesday, including 149 care home residents and 13,227 people over 80, bringing the total number vaccinated to 462,092.

This means 8.5 per cent of the Scottish population has been vaccinated, compared with 8.9 per cent in Northern Ireland, 9.9 per cent in Wales and 11.1 per cent in England.

The public are currently not allowed to leave home, except for essential reasons such as work that cannot be done from home.

Ms Sturgeon's government tried unsuccessfully twice to dissuade the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge from visiting Scotland early last month during their UK train tour to thank those who have gone "above and beyond" during the pandemic.

Asked about the Prime Minister's visit, she said she was "not ecstatic" as the rules must "apply to all of us."

She argued that the country's leaders travelling means “it gets harder to convince other people” to follow the rules.

“When we are telling other people not to travel when it’s not really, really, really essential, then we have an obligation to subject ourselves to the same rigour," she continued.

But a Downing Street spokesman said: "It's right that he's visible and accessible to communities and businesses and the public across all parts of the UK especially during this pandemic."

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