Boris Johnson’s threat to plunge the UK into a no-deal Brexit is a terrifying prospect for all of us.
Thousands of Scottish jobs rely heavily on trade with our nearest neighbours on the continent.
The Scottish economy is already reeling from the devastating effects of the coronavirus lockdown.
If Johnson hits us with the double-whammy of a no-deal Brexit, the economic impact would be catastrophic.
It is the politics of the schoolyard for the Prime Minister to talk of us prospering under “Australian-style” free trade rules as he did yesterday.
He is burying his blonde bonce in the sand if he thinks it will bring any benefits to ordinary Scots.
He and his rich pals in the city will be fine but people who need to work for a living face unemployment and economic stagnation.
Our only hope in all of this is that the Prime Minister is just displaying his usual fake bravado.
For all his bluster about preparing for a no-deal Brexit, the UK is still at the negotiating table.
The Tory leader’s self-imposed deadline for walking away passed on Thursday – and yet he’s still engaged in a game of brinkmanship, hoping the EU will cave in to his demand for a closer “Canada-style” arrangement.
But the lips to read this weekend are German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s.
The most experienced politician in Europe says that to reach an agreement, the UK and the EU will need to make compromises.
Our fear is that Johnson has neither the will nor the skill to do so.
