Theresa May lashes out at SNP's Brexit hypocrisy

THE Prime Minister has accused the SNP of double standards stating that a Yes vote in 2014 would have dragged Scotland out of the EU.

Theresa May has accused the SNP of double standards over Brexit. Picture: PA

Speaking at yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions the SNP’s Westminster Leader, Angus Robertson, quizzed Theresa May over comments Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had made which claimed Britain could leave the EU customs union while still retaining access to the single market.

Mr Robertson then brought up remarks by Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem which attacked Johnson’s claims, stating that his vision was ‘intellectually impossible’.

The SNP Deputy Leader continued by saying that it was not feasible for both views to be correct, asking: “Will the Prime Minister confirm today whether the UK is likely to leave the EU customs union post-Brexit, yes or no?”

Mrs May replied: “The right honourable gentleman doesn’t seem to understand that the customs union is not just a binary decision. But let’s put that aside, let’s look at what we need to do which is to get the best deal for access to for trading with and for operating within the single market.

“And the right honourable gentleman stands up time and again in Prime Minister’s questions and says to me that he wants access to the single European market. I might remind him that it was only a couple of years ago that he wanted to take Scotland out of the single European market.”

Mrs May’s response sparked outrage from the SNP benches. Speaker John Bercow quickly intervened, asking them to calm down as noise levels in the House of Commons continued to rise.

Mr Bercow then took aim at one of the more irate SNP MP’s Martin Docherty-Hughes: “I normally regard you as a cerebral denizen of the House. Try to recover your composure, man.”

Shortly afterwards the SNP’s Stephen Gethins asked Mrs May if she could give any guarantees regarding EU funding for university research and future freedom of movement for academics. Mrs May confirmed that guarantees had been promised and that contracts would soon be signed.

The Prime Minister then returned to her point that an independence vote would have dragged Scotland out of the European Union, sparking yet more fury from the SNP contingent.

Mr Docherty-Hughes then rose to quiz Mrs May over comments made by Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson on 22 June, which accused the Leave campaign of failing to “tell us what they will replace the single market with”.

The SNP MP for West Dumbartonshire asked: “ Now that the Prime Minister is part of a government who are dragging Scotland out of the European Union against its sovereign will can she answer Ruth Davidson?”

Theresa May responded by stating that the British people had voted to leave the EU and that is what her government would deliver.