LONDON – Boris Johnson is making his first official visit as British prime minister to Scotland, pledging to boost “the ties that bind our United Kingdom” amid opposition from Scottish leaders to his insistence on pulling Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures during a speech on domestic priorities at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, England, Saturday July 27, 2019. Economists have warned that leaving the European bloc without an agreement in under 100-days would disrupt trade to impact on finances and investment. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Johnson will announce Monday a 300 million-pound ($371 million) funding pot to drive economic growth in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her Welsh counterpart, Mark Drakeford, have both said it would be “unconscionable” for the U.K. to leave the EU with no deal in place.
Sturgeon is reviewing the timetable for a possible second referendum on Scottish independence from the rest of the U.K.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has also refused to back a no-deal Brexit. /gsg