Would I need a passport to cross the Scottish border?
A Scottish passport holder and purse. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
A deal to keep an independent Scotland within the common travel area – as the Scottish government proposes, and as Ireland already is – looks to be the most straightforward and workable solution. But political rows over immigration could be a real obstacle. It is hard to see a Westminster government of whatever hue signing up to an open border agreement with an independent Scotland that is taking a markedly different tack on immigrants. (The first minister, Alex Salmond, has said he wants to see net migration rise to about 24,000 a year.)
The issue of EU membership makes this yet more twisty. Should Salmond be wrong about the smooth transition to full EU membership, the Schengen problem could become very real. Given current attitudes to the EU and immigration within the wider UK, it is not hard to assume that if Scotland has to sign up to free movement for all EU nationals, the rest of the UK would be even more inclined to shut the door. Until there is a clearer answer on Scotland’s future membership of the EU, the passport issue is likely to remain unresolved. CP
Would I need a passport to cross the Scottish border?
A Scottish passport holder and purse. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
A deal to keep an independent Scotland within the common travel area – as the Scottish government proposes, and as Ireland already is – looks to be the most straightforward and workable solution. But political rows over immigration could be a real obstacle. It is hard to see a Westminster government of whatever hue signing up to an open border agreement with an independent Scotland that is taking a markedly different tack on immigrants. (The first minister, Alex Salmond, has said he wants to see net migration rise to about 24,000 a year.)
The issue of EU membership makes this yet more twisty. Should Salmond be wrong about the smooth transition to full EU membership, the Schengen problem could become very real. Given current attitudes to the EU and immigration within the wider UK, it is not hard to assume that if Scotland has to sign up to free movement for all EU nationals, the rest of the UK would be even more inclined to shut the door. Until there is a clearer answer on Scotland’s future membership of the EU, the passport issue is likely to remain unresolved. CP
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