Britain's PM criticized for flouting lockdown

AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced accusations on Thursday that he is not abiding by the country’s lockdown rules as he visited Scotland to laud the rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines across the United Kingdom.

With a raft of polling showing increased support for Scottish independence from the UK, Johnson’s visit to promote the benefits of the union stands to be overshadowed by the lockdown dispute.

“Mutual co-operation across the UK throughout this pandemic is exactly what the people of Scotland expect and it is what I have been focused on,” Johnson said.

Critics say the prime minister is politicking at a time when the UK is in a strict lockdown as a result of a huge resurgence of the coronavirus cases that Johnson has largely blamed on a new variant first identified around London and southeast England.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described Johnson’s visit as “not essential.” Sturgeon, whose Scottish National Party wants to hold another referendum on independence, is way ahead in polls ahead of a general election in May.

Should the SNP win a clear majority, Sturgeon has said she will look to hold another vote on Scotland’s future.

Johnson, who under the law would have to back a referendum to make it legal, has indicated he won’t, arguing that as recently as 2014 Scotland voted to stay part of the UK by a clear majority.

Sturgeon argues the situation has changed since then because Britain has left the European Union, even though voters in Scotland overwhelmingly backed remaining in the bloc.

Ahead of the visit, Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove insisted the prime minister’s visit was “absolutely essential” because Johnson has to ensure that the country’s vaccine rollout is working properly.