Boris Johnson attacks Scottish government for ‘grave inadequacies’

The Prime Minister has attacked the SNP, saying he plans to introduce measures to “compensate for the grave inadequacies” of the Scottish government.

Speaking ahead of the Conservative party conference, Boris Johnson said he would accelerate measures to create “a much stronger Scottish economy” whether there is a deal or no-deal Brexit.

He also reiterated his strong opposition to a second Scottish independence referendum.

In an interview with BBC Scotland, Mr Johnson said: “They have the highest taxes anywhere in the UK. They are not doing a good job on health, they are not doing a good job on education.

“I hope the money that we are now investing is properly spent on those services.

“And I hope that Scottish Conservatives get the credit they deserve for the hundreds of millions of extra funding that we’re putting into Scottish agriculture which was secured, not by Nicola Sturgeon, but by Scottish Conservatives.”

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already said she wants to have another referendum on leaving the UK in the second half of 2020, but Mr Johnson has previously stated his opposition to a second vote on the issue.

He told BBC Scotland on Thursday: “We had an independence referendum in 2014 and we made an explicit promise to the people of Scotland that this was going to be a once-in-a-generation event.

“The people of Scotland voted very, very substantially to stay part of the UK, which was the right decision as this is the most successful union anywhere in the world.

“They were promised this was a once-in-a-generation thing and I think we should stick with that.”

Writing on Twitter on Wednesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described Mr Johnson as “untrustworthy, craven, not a shred of concern for the consequences of his words or actions”.

She tweeted: “The Westminster opposition should unite around a plan to trigger the no confidence process to bring Johnson’s government down, ensure the Benn Act is honoured and enable a General Election as quickly as possible. Doing nothing should not be an option.”

The Scottish Government has been asked for comment on the interview with Mr Johnson.