Annabel Goldie says Nicola Sturgeon “seriously misjudged” her response to the EU referendum

Former Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie - credit: Scottish Parliament

Former Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie has claimed Nicola Sturgeon “seriously misjudged” her response to the EU referendum.

With the UK voting to leave the EU, but a majority in Scotland backing Remain, Sturgeon announced she would explore options for keeping Scotland in the organisation, and had instructed officials to start preparing legislation required for a second independence referendum.

But speaking in the House of Lords debate on the vote for Brexit, Baroness Goldie said the decision to legislate for a second independence referendum “profoundly disserves Scotland’s national interest”.

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Goldie said: “Firstly, 1.6 million votes in Scotland to remain in the European Union do not cancel out 2m votes to stay in the United Kingdom union.

“Secondly, the union she wants to leave accounts for two thirds of Scotland’s exports. The union she wants to join accounts for just 15 per cent of Scotland’s exports.

“Thirdly, the fundamental flaws of the separation case remain unaltered – no central bank, no currency, and a worsening budget deficit of £15b and business jitters.”

The First Minister today met European consuls in Edinburgh to discuss uncertainties following the Brexit vote.

She warned that EU nationals in the UK “shouldn’t be used as a negotiating chip in a wider discussion with Europe”.

The FM said: “This uncertainty the EU nationals are living with could be ended at a stroke if the UK Government and all of the candidates for prime minister simply said that their right to live here was guaranteed regardless of what happens in the EU negotiations.

“It’s regrettable that hasn’t happened on the part of everybody and I call again on the UK Government to give that categoric guarantee to people who have built their lives here, who’ve got jobs here, pay taxes here, raised families here. They shouldn’t be used as a negotiating chip in a wider discussion with Europe.

“There is no doubt that any uncertainty that is being felt could be ended if the UK Government simply gave a guarantee that no matter what happens in the negotiations, people who are already living here, have already built lives here, will have the right to stay. That could be done quickly, simply and straightforwardly and I think it is disgraceful that it hasn’t been done.”