'No Brexit BETTER than no deal' Sturgeon claims Britons will want second vote on EU exit
SCOTTISH First Minister Nicola Sturgeon claimed the lack of a final deal with Brexit could push British voters towards an "irresistible" need to hold a second vote on EU membership.
Nicola Sturgeon: No deal on Brexit is ‘unthinkable’
The anti-Brexit Holyrood leader said it would be "unthinkable" for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union without a deal with Brussels.
Ms Sturgeon called on Prime Minister Theresa May to prioritise British jobs and the economy rather than "hardline Brexiteers" – once again saying remaining inside the EU would be the best option for the UK.
She said: "No deal is unthinkable. Let me be absolutely clear: no Brexit is preferable to no deal.
"There is no doubt at all that staying in the single market, staying within the customs union is not the best outcome. Staying in the EU is the best outcome. But it’s the least damaging outcome and I think 2018 has to be the year where we see jobs, the economy, the protection that comes from EU membership come to the fore."
The SNP politician further claimed Britons would soon rather vote again on EU membership than face the uncertainties of Brexit.
She continued: "If we did get into a position, for example, where there was no deal, I'm very clear and I think a lot of people – certainly in Scotland but I suspect across the UK as a whole – would think that in those circumstances, no Brexit was absolutely preferable to a no-deal situation, which would be devastating for so many aspects of our economy and society.
"I've also said previously and I'll say it again today that I do think that as the situation develops the argument for giving people a say on the final outcome may become irresistible."
Reports have speculated the Prime Minister could be preparing to appoint a junior ministry to examine what a no-deal Brexit would mean for Britain.
But Ms Sturgeon told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland that such a decision would reflect negatively from the Government.
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She added: "It beggars belief. It seems to give the impression that the UK Government think this is some sort of game, that Theresa May is more concerned with appeasing the hard-line Tory Brexiteers than she is acting in the best interests of the country."
In a move likely to delight Brexiteer MPs, the PM is expected to balance her Remain-dominated cabinet by moving up younger, Brexit-voting MPs as well as appointing a “minister for no deal” during a reshuffle.
The minister who will occupy the new role will be charged with preparing for a Brexit scenario that sees the UK and the EU not reaching a divorce agreement. The official would attend cabinet meetings and be in Brexit Secretary David Davis’s department, but wouldn’t have the rank of secretary of state.
It is not yet clear who will be appointed to the position, but the gesture would be welcomed among ardent Brexit-backers who want to make sure Mrs May doesn’t go soft in the last months of the exit negotiations.