Johnson advocates unity with Scotland amid fears of breakup

Par Andrew McAcil

LONDON, 28 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the coronovirus epidemic underscores the benefits of being in Britain, as he pays a visit to Scotland on Thursday where the population shows itself to be more and more accommodating Has been Of a new referendum on the independence of the country.

Relations within the UK over the past five years to deal with the Brexit issue and then London’s health crisis, through repeated calls from the Scottish National Party (SNP) for power in favor of a new referendum on Scottish independence Has been enhanced.

Ahead of his visit, Boris Johnson stated that Scotland had gained access to the Coronovirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford through its UK membership, and that the vaccine dose was administered by their joint military officers who were to build the 80s Working for Vaccination Center in Scotland.

“We have come together to defeat the virus,” the British leader said. He said, “During this epidemic, mutual support throughout the UK is what the people of Scotland expect and this is what I have focused on.”

Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Wednesday criticized Boris Johnson’s scheduled arrival, questioning the “really necessary” nature of his visit, saying it was a bad example for public opinion.

Nicola Sturgeon, the head of a semi-autonomous government, is counting the SNP’s spectacular results in the Legislative Assembly elections to be held in May next year, allowing him to hold a second referendum.

If the “yes” were to prevail at the end of a possible referendum on the independence of Scotland, the United Kingdom would lose about a third of its territory and about a tenth of its population, even as it struggles with the consequences of Brexit. .

In the eyes of Boris Johnson, there is no need to hold a new vote after Scottish voters voted against independence in 2014. However, a majority of Scots voted in favor of retaining the United Kingdom in the European Union after two years.

(French version Jean Terzien)