Nicola Sturgeon should 'build' on relationship with London
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Last week, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford sparked a row over who would meet the cost of state pensions in case of independence after suggesting it would be the legal obligation for the UK. Mr Blackford told ITV Border: “You pay into a national insurance fund.
“Ok, the UK is then responsible for the disbursements of that, and it covers cash flow for a certain period, but that’s a right to a UK pension – there’s no ifs, there’s no buts about that.”
Similarly, the Scottish First Minister echoed these statements.
At FMQs last Thursday, Ms Sturgeon claimed people with “accumulated rights would continue to receive the current levels of state pension in an independent Scotland”.
The 51-year-old politician also stated the pension would be the same value or higher under independence.
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However, these claims have been squashed in an op-ed in the Scotsman, after reporter Murdo Fraser outlined his “doubts” of the First Minister.
Mr Fraser wrote: “While clearly I disagree with Nicola Sturgeon on many things, in the decades I have known her I have always thought of her as one smart cookie. I had respect for her.
“But last week the doubts came about even that.”
He continued: “I asked the First Minister to clear up this misunderstanding in the Scottish Parliament last week, but no, she seems to believe in the mythical ‘pot’.
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“Like the one at the end of a rainbow, and equally inaccessible.
“She made no attempt to distance herself from the comments of her party colleagues.
“Now either Nicola Sturgeon is deliberately propagating the most awful lie to Scottish pensioners, or she actually believes it.
“‘Which is worse?’ I asked myself.
“But on reflection, as the doubts thickened, thoughts came that made my belief in the smart cookie crumble further.”
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