SUMMARY
Although the EU was not a decisive issue in the Scotland 2014 independence referendum, Brexit has reignited the debate, albeit with new questions. Furthermore, it has highlighted the many weaknesses in the existing devolution settlements across the UK. Kirsty Hughes predicts that the COVID-19-related recession will challenge the economics of independence, and could sharpen the divide between Conservative England and the more social-democratic Scotland.
This chapter is part of the publication Towards an ambitious, broad, deep and flexible EU-UK partnership?, which examines the political, economic, social and institutional implications of the UK’s departure from the EU in different policy fields, as well as its impact on UK politics and EU integration. The contributions in this book, all by leading experts on Brexit, draw from discussions held in the Brexit Think Tank Group, which was set up by the EPC in the aftermath of the 2016 referendum. Through this format, the EPC facilitated a continuing exchange between the European Commission’s Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom and the policy community.
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