Leader of the Scottish Tories, Ruth Davidson, insisted the Edinburgh parliament did not have the required authority to block Brexit. In his first statement since Friday morning, “leave” leader and former London Mayor Boris Johnson used his column in the Daily Telegraph newspaper to urge unity and say “the negative consequences (of the vote) are being wildly overdone”.
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The vote, however, risks causing a political schism in the United Kingdom.
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has said her semi-autonomous administration would seek “immediate discussions” with EU nations and institutions to ensure that Scotland could remain in the bloc despite the UK-wide vote to leave.
She told the broadcaster’s Sunday Politics Scotland programme she would “of course” consider asking the parliament not to back any such motion.
Within hours of that result, Sturgeon said that a new independence referendum to be held within two years was “highly likely” and said she wanted a role in Britain’s upcoming negotiations with Brussels. A Scottish referendum in 2014 ended with voters deciding to remain in Britain, but analysts believe Britain’s withdrawal from the EU may strengthen the independence movement.
McGuinness said the prospect of reintroducing security checks along Northern Ireland’s meandering 310-mile (500-kilometer) border, barely a decade after the outlawed IRA renounced violence and British security forces were withdrawn from border forts, should be avoided at all costs. Political leaders were united in staying in the EU.
The UK voted 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the EU, but Scotland overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU, putting it directly at odds with England.
She added: “I hope to speak to the Chief Minister of Gibraltar in the next few days”. David Cameron is not expected to attend much of the session.
Adam Tomkins, a law professor and member of the Scottish Parliament, agreed with this assessment.
“Cameron’s legacy will be breaking up two unions”, she said in a tweet. “I want to try and protect Scotland from that”, Sturgeon told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.
Corbyn, a longtime critic of the EU who was criticized by many for doing a weak job presenting the party’s position favoring membership, for the first time faces an open rebellion from senior members of his “shadow cabinet” – the opposition party’s mirror government of senior lawmakers.
“That means the UK Government and all the devolved administrations working closely together – along with regional centres of power – to get the best settlement going forward”. Corbyn said he will not resign, and has appointed lawmakers loyal to him to fill the vacated posts.
Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is also facing upheaval within his own party, after about a dozen of his closest advisers quit his inner circle.
The U.K. government has sought to mitigate the impact on the oil industry of the drop in crude prices to 12-year lows earlier this year.
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“I am a believer in the EU and I think what we need to do is to rediscover its great moments”.
