Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 22 December 2020
I will address that in a moment. However, it is worth reflecting on Mr Lockhart’s party’s position at UK level. In an election campaign, we were promised an oven-ready deal that was good to go but, instead, in the midst of a crisis with nine days left until the end of the transition period, we still do not have a deal on the table. We are two days away from Christmas, nine days from the end of the transition period and at the height of a global pandemic, but we have no deal. That is completely unacceptable.
Mr Russell and I are at one on the issue of Brexit. It is an act of folly that will damage Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It will damage the whole of the UK economically and it will damage our standing in Europe and the wider world. It is an act of gross self-harm that we collectively as the United Kingdom will come to regret. It will impact on all sectors of our society. We need only look at what is happening with the backlog of lorries in Kent at the moment to get a slight hint of what awaits our fellow citizens. As I said, for that to happen at any time is unforgivable, but for it to be happening now, in the midst of a pandemic, is completely unforgivable.
Mr Russell and I agree on the issue of Brexit. Whatever our differences may be on independence or other issues, let us recognise that our country has collectively gone through trauma and has taken an economic hit that is sharper than that of the banking crisis. In that context, let us collectively resolve to pull our people together, pull our country together and get us through this Covid crisis.
18:58