UK PM criticized for flouting lockdown
Print Edition
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced accusations yesterday that he is not abiding by the country鈥檚 lockdown rules as he visited Scotland to laud the rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines across the United Kingdom.
With a raft of polling showing increased support for Scottish independence from the UK, Johnson鈥檚 visit to promote the benefits of the union stands to be overshadowed by the lockdown dispute.
鈥淢utual co-operation across the UK throughout this pandemic is exactly what the people of Scotland expect and it is what I have been focused on,鈥 Johnson said.
Critics say the prime minister is politicking at a time when the UK is in a strict lockdown as a result of a huge resurgence of the coronavirus cases that Johnson has largely blamed on a new variant first identified around London and southeast England.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described Johnson鈥檚 visit as 鈥渘ot essential.鈥 Sturgeon, whose Scottish National Party wants to hold another referendum on independence, is way ahead in polls ahead of a general election in May.
Should the SNP win a clear majority, Sturgeon has said she will look to hold another vote on Scotland鈥檚 future.
Johnson, who under the law would have to back a referendum to make it legal, has indicated he won鈥檛, arguing that as recently as 2014 Scotland voted to stay part of the UK by a clear majority.
Sturgeon argues the situation has changed since then because Britain has left the European Union, even though voters in Scotland overwhelmingly backed remaining in the bloc.
Ahead of the visit, Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove insisted the prime minister鈥檚 visit was 鈥渁bsolutely essential鈥 because Johnson has to ensure that the country鈥檚 vaccine rollout is working properly.
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