A UK-EU deal which has ended border controls between Remain-voting Gibraltar and Spain shows there would be no need for a hard border between an independent Scotland and England, a minister has said.
Scotland's Europe minister Stephen Gethins said Britain would be committing “an act of colossal self-harm” if it did not come to some sort of agreement with Scotland in the event the nation leaves the UK and joins the EU.
He highlighted how the deal reached on Gibraltar – which means people in Spain and the British territory will no longer have to cross a physical border between the nations – shows the UK Government recognises being part of the bloc is positive for jobs and the economy and re-emphasises the EU is willing to find solutions to political issues.
Asked if the deal flies in the face of claims there would need to be a hard border between an independent Scotland and the UK, Gethins said: “Yes it does.
“You cannot compare Scotland and Gibraltar or Scotland and Northern Ireland, but what it tells you is where there is a will, there is a way.
“What’s really interesting about the EU is it will find political solutions to political problems, and this is not just a Brexit issue. When Denmark joined the EU, there was the issue that it had a special exemption for Greenland and the Faroe Islands – so you’ve got part of Denmark which is not part of the EU.
“What the UK has recognised in terms of the Gibraltar deal, in them being aligned closer to the EU, is it’s good for jobs, the economy, and citizens’ rights.
“Everybody knows Scotland being closer to the EU is a good thing for Scotland, but what we’re seeing is Scotland’s economy, its rights, its opportunities for young people and its businesses being sacrificed due to a Brexit dogma that runs through Westminster between the parties of left and right.
“The British government would be continuing in an act of colossal self-harm not to reach some kind of agreement with Scotland and the EU. There’s plenty of examples of where you can reach some kind of agreement.”
Northern Ireland – which also voted Remain in 2016 – is also benefitting from a unique arrangement known as the Windsor Framework that was established in 2023.
It means Scotland is the only jurisdiction in the UK that voted Remain in the Brexit referendum that does not benefit from a special EU arrangement.
The previous Northern Ireland protocol – a key part of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal – had been designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland but caused a headache for trade between Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Windsor Framework, drawn up under Rishi Sunak, aimed to reduce these trading frictions, with almost half of respondents to a recent poll carried out for Queen’s University Belfast saying they considered the deal “on balance, a good thing for Northern Ireland”.
Former Tory minister Michael Gove previously said Northern Ireland was “getting the best of both worlds” as a result of the deal.
Earlier this month, Ulster University economists suggested Northern Ireland’s economy will outperform the UK average over the next five years.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Finnish Åland Islands have a special arrangement which enables the continued sale of tax-free goods to passengers travelling between the Åland Islands and other EU member states, even though the tax exemption in the traffic between EU member states ended in 1999.
Gethins said: “We see deals within the EU can be done, so this is really a matter for the political willingness in London. Does a Westminster government want to continue to do the damage it’s doing?”
He went on: “If you think it’s good for Gibraltar’s economy and good for its citizens, if you think Northern Ireland is getting the best of both worlds, we are acknowledging the damage that has been done.
“Is Scotland to be the exception in not getting a special deal and therefore be the exception whose economy continues to be damaged because of a hard Brexit dogma that still sits at the heart of Westminster?
“If Andy Burnham’s government want to be different, this is the biggest single issue that’s holding back our economy right now.”
A YouGov poll recently found three-quarters of Scots believe Brexit was wrong, an increase on the 62% that voted Remain in 2016.
“I spend a lot of time in England, I love England. I don’t want to see England being damaged and its citizens lose rights they’ve had, but that should be a matter for the people of England to decide,” Gethins said.
“Scotland decided, and not only did they vote in favour of EU membership, but they’ve subsequently voted for a majority of pro-EU MSPs and MPs. This has been a consistently expressed view of the people of Scotland to rejoin the EU.”
Asked what his message to Prime Minister Burnham would be on a special deal for Scotland, he said: “The easiest way to do this is for Scotland to be an independent member state of the EU and that’s still my ambition. Until that point, you want to unpick as much damage as possible.
“Gibraltar and NI are not in an ideal situation, but they’re in a less bad situation. Scotland has not even got that, so as a government minister, I’ve got an obligation to do all I can to meet the will of the Scottish public, so anything that unpicks that damage is something all responsible ministers should be trying to do.”
