SNP ministers have been accused of hiding the truth about the cost of an independent Scotland’s membership of the European Union after The Times revealed that they had private concerns about the financial implications.
Fiona Hyslop, the cabinet secretary for culture and external affairs, drafted a paper for Alex Salmond’s cabinet before the referendum in which she raised questions about the deal that a new state would get from Europe.
She acknowledged that agreement would have to be sought on “whether” it would be able to retain the UK’s favourable terms, including the valuable rebate. At the time, Mr Salmond, then first minister, was insisting that the conditions would remain the same.
Mr Salmond was badly damaged by the EU issue in the run-up to last September’s vote. He went to court to attempt to repress whether he had legal advice on the issue — and later had to admit that none was commissioned.
Last night, opposition politicians said Ms Hyslop’s report showed that SNP ministers were thinking one thing in private and saying another in public.
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Jackson Carlaw, Scottish Conservative deputy leader, said: “So finally, months after Scotland voted in the referendum, the truth is out.
“Not only did Alex Salmond spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ money to cover up the fact that he had no legal advice on Scotland’s chances of joining the EU, but it is now clear SNP ministers genuinely feared both the costs of an independent Scotland being admitted and the terms on which we might have been admitted.”
Claire Baker, for Scottish Labour, said: “The people of Scotland will rightly question what else the SNP government are hiding from them.”
The Times revealed yesterday that Ms Hyslop’s paper, due to go before cabinet in May 2012, stated that there would be “significant financial considerations” in Scotland’s EU membership.
Although the paper was written three years ago, the EU issue is still at the forefront of the constitutional debate. Nicola Sturgeon has suggested that, if the UK backs leaving the EU in an in/out referendum but Scotland wants to stay in the bloc, a fresh vote on independence could be held.
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Asked about the content of the report earlier this week, a spokeswoman for Ms Hyslop said: “The real issue in 2015 is the attempt by Westminster parties to pander to a right wing anti-European agenda with a referendum that could see Scotland dragged out of Europe against our will.”