Jacob Rees-Mogg brands Nicola Sturgeon 'shameful' amid furious border row between England and Scotland
Jacob Rees-Mogg has branded Nicola Sturgeon’s views on quarantining visitors to Scotland from the rest of the UK “shameful” following her spat with Boris Johnson.
The Scottish first minister said Johnson made “absurd and ridiculous political comments” after he claimed there was no border between England and Scotland.
Those remarks followed Sturgeon’s repeated refusal tor rule out implementing the coronavirus quarantine, which the prime minister said he found “absolutely astonishing”.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Johnson said: “There have been no such discussions with the Scottish administration about that but I would point out... there is no such thing as a border between England and Scotland.”
Sturgeon hit back and described his remarks as “absurd”, adding: “What there definitely is, is a geographical boundary to my powers as first minister.
“If the prime minister is questioning that now, I’m not sure what he would say if I pitched up in Newcastle and started to try to implement Scottish government policies in Newcastle.”
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Now, Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the House of Commons, has weighed in on the spat.
He appeared to draw a parallel between a potential quarantine and US president Donald Trump’s desire to build a wall at the Mexican border, stopping short of comparing her to the Roman emperor who constructed a boundary across northern England.
Rees-Mogg, responding to a question from SNP MP Tommy Sheppard about state spending and devolution, said: “And he mentions borders, and I notice that Nicola Sturgeon wishes to have a wall – perhaps she is modelling herself on other leading political figures – between England and Scotland.
“But as my right honourable friend the prime minister said, there is no border between England and Scotland and it was shameful to call for a border of that type of kind to be erected, to stop people travelling freely between the constituent parts of the United Kingdom.
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“One never thought that Nicola Sturgeon would model herself on American political figures and want to build a wall, at least a metaphorical wall if not actually getting out like Hadrian with the bricks and mortar.”
Sturgeon has insisted she is taking responsibility to “protect Scotland from this virus” while Scottish secretary Alister Jack accused her of encouraging “reckless talk” that “undermines the joint efforts that we’ve had in tackling COVID-19”.
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