Boris Johnson takes his fight against Scottish independence to Scotland

He pointed out how his government has helped roll out vaccines in the UK, including Scotland, faster than anywhere else in the EU and has provided money to support public services and subsidize thousands of jobs since the crisis began.

But a majority of Scots now prefer independence over the partial autonomy it now has, according to a series of polls encouraged in part by the perception that the Scottish government has handled the pandemic better than the London government. The shift foreshadows what could be the greatest crisis Mr Johnson’s government has faced since leaving the EU.

The Scottish leader, Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, has benefited from strong approval ratings, thanks in part to her clear coverage of Covid’s dangers and her willingness to shut down businesses and schools to keep infection and death rates lower than in other parts of the US . UK

Mr Johnson said the independence debate was an unnecessary distraction and that an earlier vote in 2014, in which Scots chose to stay with the UK, should be considered a once in a generation event.

“I think talking endlessly about a referendum without a clear description of the constitutional situation after that referendum is now totally irrelevant to the concerns of most people,” he said on a visit to a new vaccine factory in Livingston, east of Glasgow. . “We don’t really know what that referendum should achieve.”

Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, said earlier this month that no British leader wants to be the prime minister to see Scotland leave its 300-year-old union with England. Its natural resources, universities and exports are an important part of the British economy and its cultural traditions.

Scotland’s departure would also hurt the UK’s image at a time when it is trying to assert itself as an influential voice on the world stage after leaving the bloc.

However, the problem does not go away. Many of those who voted to stay in the UK in 2014 have changed their minds and are in favor of independence. Michael Sturrock is one of them. He launched a website called NoToYes to attract other voters who are thinking about switching sides.

“It’s about our democratic right to make that choice,” said Mark McGeoghan, another convert from the pro-British side.

The next sticking point is the May elections to the Scottish Parliament. Ms Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party appears on track to secure a majority of the seats and has vowed to hold a referendum.

But London’s refusal to play poses a puzzle: how can a legal and binding vote be cast that will appease the more restless members of her party while satisfying the EU, where members like Spain worry about their own independence movements and can object to an independent Scotland rejoining the bloc.

Ms. Sturgeon has tried to get Mr. Johnson to agree to a new independence vote, quoting Scottish national poet Robert Burns over the weekend by calling him a “cringing, frightened beast.” Mr Johnson’s comments on Thursday suggest it had little effect.

Her party’s current back-up plan is to propose a referendum to the Scottish Parliament after the election in May and see if Mr Johnson’s government agrees or poses a legal challenge. It could eventually end up in the UK’s Supreme Court, which rules on constitutional matters between Scotland and the rest of the UK, said Aileen McHarg, a professor at Durham University and an expert on constitutional law.

“It shows the determination of the Scottish leadership that, however an independence referendum is reached, it is done through a legal process, either by mutual consent or through court,” she said. “They are well aware that if they take a different approach and join the EU, that process will be denied.”

If the court rules that Scotland can hold a referendum, it would be more difficult for Mr Johnson to object.

However, it could be a final roll of the dice for Scotland’s independence movement, at least until sentiment changes in London. People familiar with Ms. Sturgeon’s thinking say her main strategy is to shame the UK to allow another independence referendum by securing a major mandate at the polls in May – something Mr. Johnson likes wants to prevent.

Write to James Hookway at [email protected]