An independent Scotland would ‘totally’ sign up to the Euro, says SNP chief

An independent Scotland would ‘totally’ adopt the euro as a condition of joining the EU, according to a senior SNP figure.

Foreign affairs spokesman Alyn Smith also suggested Scots could be asked to choose what currency they wanted in a separate referendum after leaving the UK.

His comments appear to contradict the party’s official policy that it would keep sterling initially before setting up a new currency.

Foreign affairs spokesman Alyn Smith said Scots could be asked to choose what currency they wanted in a separate referendum after leaving the UK

SNP leader and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday faced fresh questions over a potential hard border with England

Asked by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica about adoption of the euro, the Stirling MP replied: ‘Yeah, totally. The commitment is to participate in the economic and monetary union.

‘The euro is only part of that. We would want to participate in economic and monetary union for macroeconomic stability.’

He said joining the euro had worked for Ireland and had a ‘lot of advantages’, adding: ‘The adoption of the euro, I think is a democratic question that should be put to the people of Scotland in a referendum, same as Sweden did.’

But he also admitted: ‘Our public debt levels would be far too high to join the euro so we wouldn’t be eligible.’ His comments risk further damaging the SNP’s credibility over how an independent Scotland’s economy would fare.

NatWest has said it would have to move its HQ to London and the Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank warned tax rises or spending cuts would be needed to cut the country’s massive deficit.

SNP leader and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday faced fresh questions over a potential hard border with England.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I am not denying that we would need to confront and resolve the issues of being in the European Union, for the border between Scotland and England.

‘But if we do that in a way that enables businesses to keep trading – because businesses are already paying the price of having a border because of Brexit – we open up free trade across the European Union again.’