The UK minister responsible for Brexit, David Davis, said he did not think it was possible for Scotland to stay in the UK and the European Union, but newly-appointed UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she would listen to any options brought forward by the Scottish government.
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Asked by the BBC whether the comments mean Mrs May had given Scotland a veto over Brexit, Ms Sturgeon said: “That certainly appeared to be an interpretation that some put on the Prime Minister’s remarks after the meeting.and certainly from what she said after the meeting, I think that puts Scotland in now in a very, very strong position”.
Ms Sturgeon met new Prime Minister Theresa May for the first time in Edinburgh on Friday, with Ms May aiming to show her commitment to preserving the United Kingdom.
“Of course at that point that would be an option and a decision that I would have to consider”, she said.
The First Minister also insisted that the EU’s attitude to Scotland’s place in Europe has softened since June’s referendum result, and the option of Scotland staying in while the rest of the UK “Brexits” should not be ruled out.
When asked if she had a “veto in her back pocket” she said: “I think that puts Scotland now in a very, very strong position”.
The First Minister also said she had detected a change in tone from Brussels in its recent dealings with Scotland, saying she had encountered a “warmth”, “openness” and “great sympathy” among European leaders which had previously not been evident.
“That put Scotland in a very, very strong position, that puts me in a strong position”. “Scotland is not a region of the UK, Scotland is a nation and if we can not protect our interests within a UK that is going to be changing fundamentally, then that right of Scotland to consider the options of independence has to be there”.
Ms Sturgeon said: “My position is, there might be. It would be up to Scottish people ultimately to decide if that is right way to go”.
David Davis, the new Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, wrote two days before his appointment that Britain’s exit must be triggered before the end of the year, following consultation with British interests including the Unions and the regional Parliaments.
‘I think there are opportunities.
“They [Scotland] can’t have a veto because 17 and a half million people have given us a mandate, they’ve told us what to do, we can’t disobey it”.
Mr Davis said he wanted to trigger Article 50 “early next year” and the timetable had to allow for the UK’s “huge negotiation” and for International Trade Secretary Liam Fox to strike deals around the world.
“If it’s not possible to do that (stay in the European Union and the UK)…then I’ve been very clear that of course the option of a second independence referendum is one that has to be on the table”, she said.
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Responding to comments made by Mr Davis about European Union nationals coming to live and work in the United Kingdom, the SNP’s Europe spokesman Stephen Gethins said: “It is shameful that instead of trying to offer any sort of reassurance for European Union nationals living and working in the United Kingdom, the Tories are content to use European Union nationals as bargaining chips in their Brexit negotiations”.
