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Nicola Sturgeon urged the European Union to ‘keep the light on’ and said Scotland ‘would be back soon’ when the Brexit transition period came to an end on Thursday.
Membership in the single market and the customs union expired at 11 p.m., four and a half years after the in-out referendum that tried to solve the problem but sparked political turmoil.
The bells of Big Ben rang as the UK left the EU single market and the customs union.
The chimes of Big Ben sounded at 11 p.m., midnight on the continent, marking the UK’s exit from the single market and the EU customs union.
Scottish Prime Minister Ms Sturgeon, who is strongly opposed to Brexit, wrote on Twitter: ‘Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on.
Nicola Sturgeon urged the European Union to “keep the light on” and said Scotland “will be back soon” when the Brexit transition period comes to an end on Thursday.
Her latest hint of her drive to move on to make Scotland and an independent country came after she savagely attacked Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal on Christmas Day.
Affirming the agreement reached on Christmas Eve, Ms Sturgeon said the agreement showed that it was time for Scotland to “chart our own future as an independent European nation”.
He said Britain’s departure was happening against his will and accused the prime minister of “cultural vandalism” for ending the Erasmus program, which allows students to study in Europe.
“Scotland did not vote for any of this and our position is clearer than ever,” he said.
‘Scotland now has the right to choose its own future as an independent country and once again regain the benefits of EU membership.
‘It is impossible to believe that in the midst of a pandemic and economic recession, Scotland has been forced to leave the single market and the EU customs union with all the damage that employment will bring.
Scottish Prime Minister Miss Sturgeon, who is staunchly opposed to Brexit, wrote on Twitter Thursday: ‘Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on
The bells of Big Ben were rung the UK left both the EU single market and the customs union
‘A deal is better than no deal. But, just because, at the 11th hour, the UK government has decided to abandon the idea of a no-deal outcome, it should not distract from the fact that they have chosen a hard Brexit, stripping away many of the benefits of membership. to the EU. .
“And while we do not yet have all the details on the nature of the deal, it appears that the main promises made by the UK government on fisheries have been broken and the extent of these broken promises will be clear to everyone very soon.”
He said the people of Scotland had voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, “but their views have been ignored.”
The historic post-Brexit deal with the EU on Christmas Eve came four years after 62 per cent of backed Scots remained in the 2016 referendum.
Miss Sturgeon added: “ This is a much more difficult Brexit than could have been imagined when the EU referendum was held, damaging and disrupting this nation’s economy and society at the worst possible time.
“We are doing everything we can to mitigate the consequences of the UK government’s actions, but we cannot avoid all negative outcomes.
Her latest hint of her need to move on to make Scotland and an independent country came after she savagely attacked Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal on Christmas Day.
‘We know that companies are already struggling under the burden of Covid-19 and now face the need to prepare for this difficult Brexit in just over a week.
“We will do our best to help them and we are issuing up-to-date information and advice and urging those most affected, including businesses, to prepare.”
Writing on Twitter about the Erasmus program, Ms Sturgeon said: ‘There will be a lot of attention, rightly so, on the economic costs of Brexit.
“But ending UK participation in Erasmus, an initiative that has broadened opportunities and horizons for so many young people, is cultural vandalism by the UK government.”
Miss Sturgeon’s Scottish Nationalist Party plans to participate in next year’s Holyrood elections with the aim of obtaining a new mandate from voters for a second independence referendum.
The prime minister had previously said that if Scotland opted for independence, she would try to rejoin the EU.
However, questions remain as to whether an independent Scotland would be allowed to become a member of the bloc.
The SNP’s existing monetary policy, which seeks to maintain the pound, conflicts with the EU’s dictate that all new members must adopt the euro.
Membership would also mean giving up control of swaths of political areas such as fishing and possible trade barriers with England.
It could also mean that a strict border is imposed between England and Scotland.
In his New Year’s message, Johnson, who was instrumental in the Salir campaign’s victory in the referendum, said: “This is an incredible moment for this country. We have our freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it. ‘
It remains to be seen whether the Brexit deal will increase support for independence among Scots.
In his New Years message, Johnson, who was instrumental in the Leave campaign’s victory in the referendum, said: ‘This is an incredible moment for this country. We have our freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it. ‘
Referencing the end of the Brexit transition period, the prime minister said the UK would be “ free to do things differently and, if necessary, better than our friends in the EU ” in 2021.
He said the UK ‘will work with partners around the world, not just to tackle climate change, but to create the millions of highly skilled jobs this country will need not just this year, 2021, as we recover from Covid, but in the following years’. come’.
The prime minister added: “I think it will be the overwhelming instinct of the people of this country to come together as one UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland working together to express our values around the world.”
He concluded: ‘I think 2021 is mostly the year that we will finally do those everyday things that now seem lost in the past. Bathed in a rosy glow of nostalgia, going to the pub, concerts, theaters, restaurants, or just holding hands with our loved ones in the usual way.
“ We are still very far from that, difficult weeks and months ahead. But we can see that luminous sign that marks the end of the journey, and more importantly, we can see with increasing clarity how we are going to get there. And that’s what gives me so much confidence about 2021. ‘
Under the new agreements, freedom of movement rights will end, and while UK citizens will still be able to travel for work or pleasure, there will be different rules.
Passports must be valid for more than six months, visas or permits may be required for extended stays, pets will need a health certificate, and drivers will need additional documents.
The automatic right to live and work in the EU also ceases, and the UK will no longer participate in the Erasmus student exchange program.
