- Peter Grant
LEAK REVEALS "CATASTROPHIC" CONSEQUENCES FOR SCOTLAND'S ECONOMY
The SNP has called on the UK government to publish in full its secret Brexit analysis, following a leak of some of the papers, which reveals that a no-deal scenario could hit Scotland’s GDP by around 9% - similar to economic forecasts published by the Scottish Government. The breakdown of the leaked figures show that under the three most plausible Brexit scenarios based on existing EU arrangements, there is no scenario that does not leave the UK worse off. The figures reveal that Scotland faces a reduction in GDP by 2.5% under EEA rules, 6% under a potential Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) and 9% under a no-deal (WTO) outcome. The Scottish Government’s independent analysis published earlier revealed similar figures, showing that under each of the three outcomes Scotland’s GDP could face a hit of around 2.7%, 6.1% and 8.5% respectively – a cost of £688 (EEA), £1,610 (FTA) and £2,263 (No-deal) per person. Peter Grant MP said: “The UK government’s leaked internal Brexit analysis makes for utterly grim reading. Theresa May must now end the shameful secrecy surrounding the UK government's Brexit plans and publish the papers in full - which we now know will have catastrophic consequences for Scotland and the UK’s economy. “The Tories must now explain why they accused the Scottish Government of scaremongering when their own government was covering up similar findings. "The leak underlines the case that remaining in the Single Market and Customs Union is the only way to minimize that economic harm. "It’s time Theresa May stood up to the Brexit hard-liners and started putting jobs and living standards first.”
