Publish modelling showing impact of post-independence border checks, say Tories

The First Minister has been urged to publish any economic modelling done of the impact of border checks with England after independence.

Nicola Sturgeon outlined her Government’s proposals for the economy in a post-independence Scotland on Monday, including some detail about the border between Scotland and England.

While border arrangements will be subject to negotiations between the two nations, Scotland re-joining the EU – one of the Scottish Government’s key objectives – would complicate border crossings.

In the third paper in a series designed to refresh the prospectus for independence, the First Minister said there would be checks on two major trunk roads between Scotland and England – the A1 and the M6 (M74).

But she added that the Scottish Government would seek to simplify the process of border checks by striking an agreement with the UK that would mean goods would only need to be checked once – similar to an agreement between Norway and Sweden.

Scottish Tory economy spokeswoman Liz Smith has urged the Scottish Government to publish modelling on the economic impact of border checks.

It is not clear if such modelling has been done by ministers.

“Nicola Sturgeon is clueless about the impact a hard border would have on businesses and communities right across Scotland,” Ms Smith said.

“Her latest wafer-thin economic case for independence had no answers on what this would mean for our border communities, the people that routinely travel across the border every day and Scottish businesses who trade with the rest of the United Kingdom.

“Nicola Sturgeon is putting her own selfish obsession of relentlessly pursuing independence rather than outlining the economic costs of what a hard border would mean.

“That is a complete dereliction of duty. Nicola Sturgeon should urgently reveal the SNP’s own economic modelling on a hard border and the reality of what it would mean in practice.”

The Tory MSP added that the Scottish Government was now “squarely behind a hard border”, describing the move as “nothing short of economic vandalism”.

“Rather than seeking to divide our communities with a hard border, Nicola Sturgeon should be focusing on the real priorities of individuals and businesses across Scotland and supporting them through the cost-of-living crisis,” she added.

A spokesperson for Europe minister Neil Gray responded: “It is the Tories’ hard Brexit that is causing real damage and costs to people in Scotland and which, compared with EU membership, will wipe billions of pounds from the Scottish economy.

“By becoming an independent country we can escape this disastrous Brexit and lift borders with 27 European countries through EU membership and regain our place inside the vast European Single Market, which is seven times the size of the UK.

“Comparable European independent countries to Scotland have national incomes that are, on average, more than £10,000 per person higher than we have under Westminster control – demonstrating what is possible if we too were independent and free from Westminster decision-making which grows more calamitous by the day.”