Independence would be Brexit 2.0 and make things 'even worse', Lib Dem MP claims

Scottish independence would be a Brexit 2.0 and make things “even worse”, a Lib Dem MP has claimed.

Scottish independence would be a Brexit 2.0 and make things “even worse”, Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael has claimed.

Alistair Carmichael accused the SNP of making the same arguments as Brexiteers, and dismissing experts now it suited them.

Writing in The Scotland on Sunday, Mr Carmichael pointed to analysis from the London School of Economics that warned there would be an 8.7 per loss to long-term GDP with independence, just from barriers to trade.

The Orkney and Shetland MP said: “Throughout the Brexit saga, SNP figures used analysis from the London School of Economics to blast the folly of splitting away from our closest trading partners.

“Now that a new LSE report finds that the SNP’s own separation project could be three times more harmful to our economy than Brexit, the guns have fallen silent – or in some cases have been turned upon their former allies.

“Just like the Brexiteers in 2016, the SNP want people to ignore the experts and triple down on destroying businesses with trade costs.”

The Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Home Affairs accused Nicola Sturgeon’s party of offering another Brexit but at “three times the cost”.

He said: “Pete Wishart, usually ready with a creative turn of phrase, dismissed the report by tweeting the tired old ‘they think we’re too poor, too stupid’ spiel, beloved of those who have no answers.

“The tone of response is all-too familiar for anyone who witnessed the rubbishing of expert analysis over the economic harm of Brexit in recent years.

“Mr Wishart and others have not hesitated to point at the damage to Scottish exporters in recent weeks, calling James Withers of Scotland Food and Drink and Jimmy Buchan of the Scottish Seafood Association to parliamentary committees to outline the severe trade cost they face from Brexit.

“SNP leaders cannot claim with a straight face that this Brexit trade disruption is bad but three times as much from independence would be good.

“We have a choice – between learning from the mistakes of Brexit division, or jumping on the SNP bus and tripling down on those mistakes.”

Drew Hendry MP, the SNP’s Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade accused the Lib Dems of being “pro-Brexit”.

He said: “The fact is that the authors themselves stressed that their analysis covered only the impact of trading costs but excluded post-independence economic or fiscal issues and other important factors - including taxes, inward investment or migration. It bases its findings on an independent Scotland not using our powers to change a single policy – or that we would accept the damage caused by the Tories' hard Brexit – and that we would sit on our hands and act as though nothing has changed.

“As an independent member of the EU, free from the damage of Brexit, Scotland would be part of the huge Single Market which is seven times the size of the UK.

“While it may be the case that Alistair Carmichael and the Lib Dems have delivered a trademark U-turn and joined the Tories and Labour in becoming pro-Brexit parties and embraced the damage it is causing, it is clear beyond any doubt that the only way to protect Scotland's interests is to become an independent country and to rejoin the EU."

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