INDEPENDENCE THE ONLY WAY TO UNLEASH SCOTLAND’S POTENTIAL

Households and businesses in Angus are being made to suffer from the worst of the Tories’ disastrous Brexit, Dave Doogan MP has warned, after a top business leader slammed Brexit and said there is ‘no evidence’ of the promised dividend to businesses across the country.

Households in Angus Council face a shortfall of £982 a year as a result of the Tories’ Brexit, which local MP Dave Doogan says illustrates the need for Scottish independence as a means to escape Tory Brexit chaos and re-join the EU.

Shevaun Haviland, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, told Bloomberg that Rishi Sunak should pursue a veterinary agreement to remove checks on food products, something that has hammered Scotland’s world-class food and drink sector.

Ms Haviland also called for changes to the visa system for skilled workers from Europe to work in the UK to fill the gaps in the labour market caused by Brexit.

Commenting, Dave Doogan MP said:

“Again, we have even more confirmation that Brexit doesn’t work at the expense of households and businesses here in Angus.

“Angus businesses have taken a hammer blow because of Brexit and continue to suffer as a result. The only way they and the rest of Scotland can flourish is by escaping Brexit and becoming an independent country back in the European Union.

“Scotland’s economy has suffered the double whammy of leaving the EU and the Tory-made cost of living crisis. Last week we learned that Scottish exports had nose-dived by 13% since Brexit – costing Angus nearly £47 million.

“However, there is no way back to the EU under Westminster control with Labour signed up to the right-wing Brexit project. No matter the economic consequences, Labour will keep Scotland out of the European Union, a market seven times the size of the UK.

“Meanwhile countries of a similar size to us continue to outperform the UK. Only with independence can we unleash Scotland’s full potential by re-joining the European Union and building a stronger, greener society.”

Notes:

• Brexit cost the UK billions in lost trade and tax revenues, research finds | ITV News. Scotland figure calculated at 8.1% of this, at £2,525,953,311. Angus figure calculated on a per-household basis using figures from the National Records of Scotland, here: (house-est-20-all-tabs.xlsx (live.com)).
• Scots exports slump by 13 per cent since Brexit | HeraldScotland). Hit to Angus Council: £46.6 million, calculated on a pro-rata basis.