The Prime Minister has come under fire for his trip to a vaccine production firm north of the border after it emerged there had been a coronavirus outbreak at the site.
Newspaper the Daily Record reported that the visit came just 24-hours after a public health probe at the site, which uncovered 14 coronavirus cases – about one in eight of the workforce.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford accused the PM of being “utterly reckless” and putting “politics before public health”.
Mr. Blackford, appearing via video link, asked the Prime Minister: “There are serious questions to answer. Did the PM and his advisers know about the Covid outbreak? When did they know and when did the PM make the irresponsible decision to go ahead with what was a PR stunt?”
Mr. Johnson dodged directly answering his question and replied: “I would just repeat that the Government remains as I said yesterday very willing to help Scotland with the rollout of vaccines across the whole of the UK.”
Mr. Blackford fumed that the visit was a “shocking error of judgment” and pressed him again, asking: “Prime Minister, why be so reckless? Is it any wonder people in Scotland have no faith in this Prime Minister?”
He then took a personal swipe at Mr. Johnson, adding: “Isn’t he the worst possible leader at the worst possible time?”
Mr. Johnson hit back, saying people in Scotland wanted to see the whole country pulling together.
He added: “Nobody, by the way, raised that issue with me before or since. It is my job to visit every part of this country. Nothing and no-one is going to stop me!”
The Prime Minister could be seen banging his fist while Mr. Blackford shook his head at the camera.
( The SNP’s Ian Blackford / Parliament TV )
Mr. Johnson went to Valneva, in Livingston, last Thursday despite Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying his trip was not essential. The visit was widely seen as an opportunity for the Government to press the benefits of the union.
It comes after Ms. Sturgeon threatened to hold a wildcat independence referendum on Scotland breaking away from the United Kingdom.
Source: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-trip-scotland-snp-pmqs-b918489.html
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