Nicola Sturgeon fury: Scottish First Minister's call for Boris Johnson to resign exposed
NICOLA STURGEON and Boris Johnson have struck yet another difference in opinion over their coronavirus exit strategies after the Scottish First Minister announced her own roadmap out of lockdown - but it is not the first time the two have been locked in a battle of rhetoric.
Nicola Sturgeon: It's time to move towards relaxing lockdown
Scotland’s First Minister has stirred more anger between herself and Prime Minister Boris Johnson after revealing her own road map out of lockdown. Ms Sturgeon’s plan will see households allowed to mix in “small numbers” in their gardens from next week.
Wildly different from the rules in England – where you can only mix with one person from another household – it suggests people will be able to have friends and families around for barbecues.
Ms Sturgeon said outdoor exercise and some sports will now be permitted.
And, people will be allowed to sit in parks and sunbathe.
Schools in Scotland, however, will not start reopening until at least August 11.
Scotland is the last of the four UK nations to publish specific plans on slowly lifting lockdown.
Boris Johnson revealed his exit strategy on May 10.
Wales and Northern Ireland were already allowing outdoor sports and the reopening of recycling and garden centres.
Schools in England are, under Mr Johnson’s plans, set to reopen from the beginning of next month.
JUST IN: Lockdown, what lockdown? Boris Johnson's rules are FAILING
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said the Scottish leader was using the crisis to make life awkward for the Prime Minister.
He said: “Nicola Sturgeon seems intent on having a different policy to Boris Johnson.
“While she is playing her nationalist politics, she would do well to remember that this is about people’s lives and all politicians will ultimately be judged on how they have handled this pandemic.
“She appears willing to sacrifice the Scottish people on the altar of nationalism.”
DON'T MISS
We had to do the right thing for migrant NHS staff, says ROSS CLARK [LATEST]
Coronavirus map LIVE: Second wave fear as new hotspots erupt [UPDATE]
Piers Morgan praises ‘proper’ leader Keir Starmer after blasting Boris [ANALYSIS]
The stark contrast between Ms Sturgeon’s and Mr Johnson’s policy is but one in a long line of hostilities between the two.
Last September, shortly after the Supreme Court ruled that Mr Johnson’s suspension of Parliament was unlawful, Ms Sturgeon intensified her rhetoric and demanded that the Prime Minister resign.
She went as far as to say it would be "unthinkable" for him to remain in office under the circumstances.
Ms Sturgeon at the time told the BBC: "The Supreme Court this morning has found that the Prime Minister acted unlawfully and that he did so, effectively, to evade scrutiny and accountability.
"He had no good reason for doing so and he did all of this at a time of political and constitutional crisis. It is genuinely exceptional and unprecedented.”
She made an attempt at rallying MPs against Mr Johnson, and urged them to "come together" to force Mr Johnson out of office through a vote of confidence if he did not do the "decent and honourable thing" by quitting.
Tensions were also high between Holyrood and Westminster in February after it was claimed Mr Johnson called Ms Sturgeon a “Wee Jimmy Krankie woman” – a reference to an Eighties Scottish comedy act.
Downing Street denied the allegations.
The charge came during the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
What followed were accusations that the Scottish government were intentionally making the summit’s logistics difficult – for example, that Holyrood booked buildings on the summit’s planned site for other purposes.
Ms Sturgeon later warned Mr Johnson to not let their differences get in the way of solving the global issue of climate change.