Boris Johnson to visit Scotland despite Nicola Sturgeon warning

 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to visit Scotland on Thursday despite the country's first minister questioning whether the trip is necessary.

Mr Johnson is expected to emphasise the strength of the UK working together in the fight against Covid-19.

He is also likely to thank staff involved in responding to the pandemic view for more info ….

 

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has questioned whether his trip is "essential".

Sturgeon: Johnson trip to Scotland 'not essential'

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The UK government's Scottish independence dilemma view for more info ….

 

Asked at her daily coronavirus briefing on Wednesday how she felt about the expected visit while strict travel restrictions were in place, Ms Sturgeon replied she was "not ecstatic" about it.

She argued that leaders should abide by the same rules they impose on the general public, adding that she had herself rejected a suggested visit to a vaccine centre in Aberdeen for this reason.

Downing Street, however, insisted it was important for the prime minister to be "visible and accessible" across the whole of the UK during the pandemic.

'Delivering' for Scotland view for more info ….

 

 

Mr Johnson's visit to Scotland is widely seen as being part of a "charm offensive" in response to polls indicating a rise in support for independence.

Ahead of his trip he said: "The great benefits of cooperation across the whole of the UK have never been clearer than since the beginning of this pandemic.

"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 view for more info ….

 

"That's how we are delivering for the people of Scotland so we can ensure the strongest possible recovery from the virus view for more info ….