Scotland should receive a Brexit compensation payment from the UK Government for the damage leaving the EU has done to the economy, an SNP MP has claimed.
Mhairi Black said the Tory Government was living in “an alternative reality” over Brexit as she tackled Scottish Secretary Alister Jack over what she called an “international embarrassment”.
The Paisley MP told the Commons that the Office for Budget Responsibility has “projected the UK’s economy will be four per cent lower because of Brexit”
She added that the Treasury figures while HMRC found “Scottish exporters were actually higher last year during the height of the pandemic than they are this year after Brexit”.
Black said: “This means Brexit is having a worse impact on Scottish exports than the pandemic has.”
The SNP MP pointed out that the has offered Ireland £1 billion in compensation for the effects of Brexit and said the UK government should offer Scotland, which voted against Brexit, the same
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack suggested it is “far too early” to judge the impact of Brexit.
Jack replied: “The OBR prediction actually was for economic growth to be four per cent in March. The reality is they have corrected that prediction for economic growth to be 6.5 per cent in 2021 and six per cent in 2022.
“And actually our economy is recovering strongly and is the fastest-growing economy in the G7.”
But the Secretary of State came under sustained attack from the SNP, with Pete Wishart calling on him to apologise to Scots.
Wishart, who chairs the Scottish Affairs Committee, said Brexit has been “nothing other than an unmitigated disaster”.
Jack replied that he did not recognise what Wishart was saying about Scotland.
He said: “ We’ve been through a pandemic and it’s far too early to say what any impacts are to make predictions.”
“We know our economy is growing, we’re doing fantastic trade deals around the world and they’re going to benefit the Scottish economy, Scottish food and drink, and he just needs to get positive about it.
Jack added: “Stop talking down Scotland’s businesses, stop talking down Scotland and start to get optimistic about the opportunities we face.”
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