•               Pushes new Home Secretary to include fishing visas in reformed immigration rules

Na h-Eileanan an Iar SNP MP Angus MacNeil says Scotland needs ‘better government, not a bribe to stay chained to the union.’

As new Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Scotland today (Monday), Mr MacNeil said the UK Government are running out of time to keep Scotland onboard a sinking ship.

He is reiterating calls for the Tory Government to take urgent action to support the Scottish fishing industry and allow skippers access to non-European Economic Area workers to relieve the crew shortage crisis. He says at no cost, the Tory Government can lift the pen, make a change and solve a crisis.

He said: “Instead of making promises they cannot keep and announcing funding which has already been committed, the Tory Government have a genuine chance to make a real difference to a Scottish industry by allowing skippers to source crew from outside the EEA.

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“The new Home Secretary says she wants to reform the immigration system to allow UK entry based on what skills they have to offer. There are skilled seaman waiting to come to the UK and to fill the gaps in labour which are causing boats in my constituency and across the west coast to be tied up.

“I will write to Ms Patel asking her to take on this urgent matter.

“I invited former Home Secretary Sajid Javid to the islands to see for himself the extent of this issue and disappointingly he did not take up this offer.”

He added: “Boris needs to buck up his ideas on Scotland. He has come to Scotland today making desperate promises to try and quash any aspirations for independence.

“The reality is that he is leading us to a No Deal Brexit disaster which we didn’t vote for and that leads us with only one option of escape.”