The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford is calling for a cross-party alliance to push for an extension to the post-Brexit transition period and prevent what he has described as a “chilling prospect” of crashing out of the European Union without a deal.
Ian Blackford said he would be talking to opposition parties in the coming days, with the aim of getting them to join in putting pressure on the UK Government.
He accused the Johnson administration of behaving with the “height of irresponsibility” by not extending talks with the EU during the coronavirus pandemic.
The SNP has called for a two-year extension to the post-Brexit transition period. The deadline for agreeing on any extension is June, but the HM’s Government has said it will not seek one and continue to reject any request from the EU for one.
Speaking on BBC Good Morning Scotland, Blackford said: “On the back of the health crisis, quite rightly we’ve had to take measures to protect people and that’s meant that we’ve crashed the economy.
“Many people were talking about the UK economy shrinking by 35% as a consequence of that.
“I have to say to the Government it’s the height of irresponsibility to then threaten this second blow to the economy if we’re daft enough to go down the road of a No-Deal Brexit.”
He added: “That is a foretaste of what could come if we didn’t have the continuance of a favourable trade deal with Europe at the end of this year.
“That is why I am saying to the Government – this is a national emergency, this is a crisis, let’s all of us pull together to get through this and that means accepting the offer that is already there of an extension to the Brexit process, so we don’t have that second hit on the economy.”
David Duguid, Tory MP for Banff and Buchan, said it was “absolutely true” the Covid-19 pandemic would have a “huge effect” on the economy, however, he claimed extending the transition period would “add to the uncertainty”.
Mr Banff said: “What we need is to keep that hard deadline which will focus efforts.
“We have seen enormous efforts to get these 100,000 tests as a result of having a very ambitious deadline –if we start moving the deadline we are just going to kick the can down the road and we are not going to get anything done.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said no delay to the post-Brexit transition period will be requested from the British side and the UK will reject any attempt by the EU to delay this as well.
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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