The general election result drove a “stake through the heart” of the prospect of a “hard” Brexit, the Scottish minister dedicated to the issue has said.
Michael Russell said the landscape had “changed utterly” after Theresa May lost her Westminster majority and was forced to seek support from Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to govern.
The Brexit minister said UK counterparts must now come back to the negotiating table to start afresh.
He said: “We believe a hard Brexit should be dead and buried with a stake through its heart.
“The situation has changed utterly from two weeks ago and it’s quite clear there is no mandate for a hard Brexit, which means everything is back on the table.
“We really think we’re now in a position where we can talk seriously about this and re-set the Brexit situation.”
Mr Russell said Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were “broadly on the same page” in supporting continued membership of the EU single market.
The prime minister is also faced with a rejuvenated Scottish Conservative contingent of 13 MPs, led by Ruth Davidson who has called for a hard Brexit to be dumped.
Asked if he trusted Ms Davidson to flex her muscle for an “open Brexit” within the Tory party, Mr Russell said he thought she was saying the right things.
He said: “Ruth Davidson has said we have to prioritise economic issues over migration.
“I don’t like to distrust anybody and it’s a position I agree with – the reality is that’s the right thing to do.
“But it requires Theresa May and David Davis to sit down and talk about it.”
Mr Russell said he was open to discussion about the possibility of the UK staying within the EU customs union, like Turkey, giving tariff-free trade with Europe without signing up to free movement of people.
But he stressed it was crucial for the UK Government to hold an urgent meeting of the joint ministerial committee (JMC) of the devolved nations, which has not met since February.
He said: “That’s what will unlock this.
“When I tell people in Brussels the JMC has not met since February they are incredulous because we have legislative competence over key areas.
“If it doesn’t happen, we don’t believe the UK can sensibly take forward any negotiation.”
Mr Russell also called for the UK Government to publish a paper on what it wants form Brexit, as the Scottish Government has.
“The simplest set of negotiations we can have is single market minus, where we start negotiations saying we want to be in the single market.
“The hardest will be a trade plus negotiation, which means we have to deal with everything separately.
“The single market negotiating position puts everything in a package and is much more likely to lead to a successful outcome.”
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