Key questions Sturgeon must answer on lockdown

11 May 2020

Jackson Carlaw has written to the First Minister demanding answers on a series of lockdown-related issues.

Nicola Sturgeon has taken a divergent approach to the UK Government on easing measures, arguing that her evidence shows the restrictions must continue.

Now the Scottish Conservative leader has set out a series of demands so the people of Scotland can better understand her position.

They include:

• Publishing what the SNP government believes the ‘R’ number to be in Scotland, and how it thinks that compares with the UK equivalent, on a daily basis
• Why the Scottish Government believes the ‘R’ number reduction has stalled
• To what extent that stalling is driven by the crisis in care homes
• Why the SNP believes the ‘R’ number is higher in Scotland, despite going into lockdown at roughly the same time as the rest of the UK

He added that, if Scotland is to take a slower approach than other parts of the UK, the scientific evidence for this approach must be made public and updated regularly.

Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said:

“Like everyone else, we want to see a strategy that saves lives, protects the NHS and moves towards coming out of lockdown when it’s safe to do so.

“There are emerging differences between the approach of the UK Government and the Scottish Government, and that will have an impact on the lives of Scots, and the wellbeing of the economy.

“So the SNP government now needs to set out exactly why this approach is different, and what evidence it is based upon.

“We can’t simply have weeks go by where Nicola Sturgeon asserts a position without the detailed reasons for it being revealed.”