Nicola Sturgeon has come under fire from opponents after accepting there would have to be a border between England and an independent Scotland.
The SNP leader insisted an independent Scotland would try to negotiate arrangements to “keep trade flowing easily across the border” with Brexit Britain while also complying with all of the requirements of EU membership”.
The Tories and Labour leapt on the controversy which was given oxygen when an SNP candidate last week claimed a hard border with England would create jobs.
Sturgeon faced tough questions on potential border arrangements in a fractious Sunday morning interview with Andrew Marr in which she also admitted that the SNP had done no modelling on the economic effects of independence.
Asked by the veteran broadcaster she would police a border, Sturgeon said: “I am not denying what the EU regulations say. I am not denying because of the absurdity of Brexit that all sorts of issues are raised for Scotland completely against our democratic will.
“We would work as a country to make sure that for our businesses, there is no difficulties in terms of their day to day experiences in trading.”
Labour’s Ian Murray MP, the shadow Scotland secretary Ian Murray said Labour opposed indepdendence and a second referendum in the middle of covid pandemic reovery.
He said: “Hearing the casual way with which Nicola Sturgeon dismisses those independent experts that she is so fond of quoting when they agree with her and her failure to answer any of the tough questions on separation – from effects on income to the border – is playing fast and loose with people’s futures.
“With economists warning Scotland is headed for a jobs crisis it is reckless beyond imagining to call for a referendum during our recovery."
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said a post-referendum border would be a hammer-blow for Scottish businesses and put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk that rely on trade with the rest of the UK.
Ross said: “By Nicola Sturgeon’s own admission, the SNP are clueless about the economic impact of independence. They’ve done no analysis on how many jobs it would put at risk or how much damage would be done to Scotland’s economy.
He added that the SNP leader did not handle the Marr cross-examination well.
Ross said: “She floundered and didn’t have a single convincing answer to dispel the overwhelming evidence that separating Scotland from the rest of the UK would be devastating for jobs and businesses.
“There’s one clear way to avoid a border at Berwick, that’s to vote Scottish Conservative to stop the SNP’s push for a reckless referendum in its tracks.”
