Theresa May must definitively rule out no-deal Brexit, Nicola Sturgeon demands
Nicola Sturgeon has called on the Prime Minister to âdefinitivelyâ rule out the âcatastropheâ of a no-deal Brexit after her European Union exit plan was heavily defeated for a second time in the House of Commons.
Speaking after the vote â which saw MPs reject the UK Governmentâs proposals by 391 to 242 â the Scottish First Minister said Mrs May had been unable to turn the result of the 2016 referendum âinto a workable or deliverable plan to leave the European Unionâ.
The vote leaves the UK âpoised on a cliff edgeâ with a Government which has âeffectively ceased to functionâ, Ms Sturgeon insisted.
She called on MPs to vote against a no-deal Brexit when this comes before the Commons and to extend the Article 50 timetable â but also made clear again the SNPâs support for a Peopleâs Referendum.
Mrs May had taken her Brexit deal back to MPs for a second âmeaningful voteâ after reaching agreement European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Strasbourg that the UK cannot be trapped in the controversial backstop arrangement indefinitely.
My comment on tonightâs Brexit fiasco. pic.twitter.com/a4TgIdjRsA
â Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) March 12, 2019
Although the 149 margin was reduced from the record 230-vote defeat of the first âmeaningful voteâ in January, Mrs May was left far adrift from a majority with just 17 days to go to the scheduled date of Brexit on March 29.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said he was âdisappointed, but not surprisedâ with the result.
But Ms Sturgeon said: âThe Prime Minister and the UK Government should be hanging their heads in shame this evening.
âTonightâs outcome was entirely predictable, and if they had been prepared to listen at any stage and engage constructively instead of simply pandering to Brexit extremists, they could have avoided it.
âInstead, we now have a Government that has effectively ceased to function and a country that remains poised on a cliff edge.â
The First Minister continued: âThe votes now scheduled for the coming days will now give Parliament the chance to definitively reject the catastrophe of no-deal and to allow for more time for a sensible way forward to be found.
âBut the Prime Minister should definitively rule out no-deal, instead of offering a free vote on the issue.â
Ms Sturgeon argued that ruling out a no-deal Brexit, and extending the deadline beyond March 29 would enable the public to have their say on Mrs May proposals in a second referendum.
âWe will support any such referendum, provided it has the option to remain in the EU on the ballot paper,â she said.
With Ms Sturgeon also having committed to set out her thinking on the possibility of a second Scottish independence referendum in the coming weeks, when there is more clarity on Brexit, she said that âScotlandâs needs and voice have been ignored by the UK Governmentâ during the negotiations to leave the EU.
The SNP leader added: âToday a handful of DUP MPs held more sway over Scotlandâs future than our own national Parliament â that demonstrates more clearly than ever that the case for Scotland becoming an independent country has never been stronger.â
Mr Mundell insisted the Prime MInisterâs deal was a âgood dealâ, which would allow the UK to leave the EU in an âorderlyâ manner.
He said: âIâm disappointed, but not surprised at the outcome.
âAlthough the decision was marginally less than the previous occasion, Parliament clearly has once again rejected the deal. That is disappointing to me because I believe it is a good deal, a basis for leaving with an orderly exit, having a opportunity to negotiate a new and positive relationship with the EU.â
Kerry Buist, director of the Scotland for a Peopleâs Vote campaign, noted 80% of Scottish MPs had voted against Mrs Mayâs âbad dealâ.
She stated: âWith the days and hours draining away, a further spin of the wheel at Westminster for this dead deal would be utterly pointless.
âInstead, there is only one way forward â to hand the final decision back to the public through a Peopleâs Vote.â