Nicola Sturgeon tells Boris Johnson not to use coronavirus pandemic as ‘political weapon’

Prime minister had said virus response illustrated ‘sheer might’ of union in bid to shore up union

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Nicola Sturgeon has told Boris Johnson not to use the coronavirus pandemic as a “political weapon” after the prime minister claimed Scotland’s response to the virus had benefited from being part of the UK.

Speaking on Thursday as Mr Johnson visited Scotland, the first minister told reporters: “I don’t think any of us, and I include myself in this, should be trying to use Covid and the pandemic and the crisis situation we continue to face as some kind of political campaigning tool.

“This is a pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 50,000 people across the UK. We have all tried to do our best, but I don’t think any of us have got any grounds to crow or to feel satisfied about this ... Every leader has a real duty to focus on doing everything we can to tackle this, and not use it as some kind of political weapon.”

Mr Johnson’s visit, in which he claimed the UK response showed the “sheer might” of the United Kingdom, comes as polls show increased support for Scottish independence in the wake of the pandemic. In recent months two Panelbase polls have found 54 per cent want Scotland to split from the UK.

The surge in support for separation comes amid claims of mismanagement by the UK authorities on testing, PPE, and public health messages – with the Scottish response being largely devolved to its own authorities since the start of lockdown. England has seen a significantly higher death rate than the other countries in the United Kingdom.

Asked specifically about Mr Johnson’s visit, during which Ms Sturgeon is not expected to meet with the prime minister, she told reporters: “On a more fundamental level I don’t think any of us should be championing or celebrating a pandemic that has taken thousands of lives as some example of the pre-existing political case we want to make. This has been a heart-breaking crisis that we’re not out of yet. Too many people died. And all of us have a really, really solemn responsibility to focus on [it] and to get our countries through.”

Ms Sturgeon also rejected Mr Johnson’s claim that the UK had financed the response, telling reporters: “Let’s be clear. This is borrowed money. And the reason it is coming to the Scottish government from the UK government is the UK government has the borrowing powers that Scotland’s doesn’t.”

On Thursday morning cabinet minister Brandon Lewis claimed the more successful Covid-19 response in Scotland was due to the UK government, suggesting that decisions had been made in Westminster and that devolved administrations were simply “part of the decisions we were making”.

“If I look through how we’ve dealt with coronavirus throughout the period [the devolved administrations] were part of the decisions we were making at Cobra, they were done together as the UK with the devolved authorities, their ministers were part of daily meetings – these things were being done as the UK,” he told the BBC.

Mr Johnson was greeted by small protests as he arrived in Orkney, where a group of masked demonstrators waved signs that said “Hands off Scotland” and “Our Scotland, our future”. A placard reading “Indy Ref Now”, a reference to calls for another vote on Scottish independence, was also seen on the side of a van.

During the course of his visit the prime minister told the BBC: “What you have seen throughout this crisis is the union working together with money for supporting people through furlough, the army working on the testing, moving people around.

“But now what you want to do is build back better together with a green recovery and here in Orkney they are streets ahead on... green technology.”