Nicola Sturgeon yesterday urged the UK Government to rule out a no-deal Brexit after one of the UK’s top doctors warned it would cost lives.
The first minister said the comments made by the outgoing chief medical officer for England, Professor Dame Sally Davies, were “absolutely horrifying”.
And Ms Sturgeon pleaded with the UK Government to “come to its senses” and rule out crashing out of the EU without a deal.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Dame Sally said it could not be guaranteed there would be no medical shortages if the UK fails to get a deal with the EU by October 31.
She then went further, with a stark warning that there was no guarantee that those who rely on medicines would be safe.
Dame Sally said: “We cannot guarantee that there will not be shortages, not only in medicines but technology and gadgets and things.
“And there may be deaths, we can’t guarantee there won’t.”
Asked if lives were at risk, she replied: “They are at risk”.
Her comments were raised at Holyrood during First Minister’s Questions by SNP MSP Clare Adamson, who asked Ms Sturgeon if she was aware of the remarks.
Ms Sturgeon said she had seen the comments and described them as “absolutely horrifying”.
And she added: “If nothing else that has been said over recent weeks and months about the consequences of a no deal Brexit has made any difference to the UK Government, then I really hope that these comments today will make that difference.”
The first minister pointed out that Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove was in Scotland for a Joint Ministerial Committee meeting on EU negotiations.
“The question to him has to be ‘Do people really have to die before this UK Government comes to its senses and rules out a no deal Brexit completely?’,” she said.
“It is unconscionable that it is still being contemplated and at times appears to be the desired policy of the prime minister and others.”
The first minister added: “It is beyond belief in light of comments like this that Jackson Carlaw and the Scottish Conservatives seem to be quite happy in backing Boris Johnson in taking the UK out of the EU with no deal.
“I don’t think people in Scotland will forgive them readily for that.”
Michael Gove said he stood by his comments in the House of Commons that no-one’s health would be affected by no-deal Brexit.
Mr Gove said: “I am a great fan of Dame Sally but my job is just to make sure that we do all the work required in order to mitigate any risk.”
Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, meanwhile, added his voice to the warnings of the impact a no-deal Brexit would have on medicines.
Addressing the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities conference, Mr Brown said leaving without a deal would make the UK a “paradise” for “speculators, spivs and smugglers” to make money out of medicine shortages.
Mr Brown argued that a no-deal scenario would lead to speculators “cashing in” by stockpiling food and medicines amid the predicted shortages.
Arguing that the UK is dependent on Europe for one million medical consignments a day and 30% of our food supplies, Mr Brown warned profiteering from post-Brexit problems “will ultimately affect millions of ordinary people across Britain”.
“Speculators are poised to swoop on stockpiles of medicines and food supplies and to profit from a hit to the pound,” he said.