UK's Johnson Visits Scotland As Independence Support Mounts

London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jan, 2021 ) :Prime Minister Boris Johnson was on Thursday to praise the United Kingdom's joint response to the coronavirus pandemic during a trip to Scotland, where support for independence has hit record highs.

But he will be walking straight into a row with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish National Party, who questioned whether Johnson's trip contravenes his own Covid rules on making only essential journeys.

Sturgeon said she was "not ecstatic" about the visit, adding that leaders should stick to the same rules as the general public.

"People like me and Boris Johnson have to be in work for reasons people understand, but we don't have to travel across the UK. We have a duty to lead by example," she said on Wednesday.

Johnson's Downing Street office responded that it was "a fundamental role of the PM to be the physical representative of the UK government" and that it was "right that he's visible and accessible for communities and businesses and the public".

The prime minister will highlight the role played by central government in providing tests, setting up vaccine centres and subsidising those who are unable to go to work.

"The great benefits of cooperation across the whole of the UK have never been clearer than since the beginning of this pandemic," he will say, according to his office.

"We have a vaccine programme developed in labs in Oxford being administered across the United Kingdom by our Armed Forces, who are helping to establish 80 new vaccine centres across Scotland," he was to add.

The visit comes amid a slew of polls showing Scotland would vote to leave the union in any re-run of the 2014 referendum, in which it opted to stay.

Nationalists said Britain's vote to leave the European Union in 2016, opposed by most of Scotland, meant another referendum should be held.

The vote to leave the EU had little direct effect on support for independence, with polls still showing a majority wanted to stay in the UK.

However, the coronavirus pandemic has seen a significant shift towards independence.

Each devolved government has had a large say in dictating their response, often pitting them against London and providing a glimpse into how independence could operate.

Johnson has ruled out holding another referendum, but Sturgeon will likely claim a mandate and heap pressure on the prime minister should her party perform well in upcoming local elections.