Jacob Rees-Mogg compares Nicola Sturgeon to Donald Trump amid row over Scottish border quarantine

The Commons leader accused Ms Sturgeon of trying to ‘model herself on American political figures’. (PA)

The Commons leader took a swipe at the Scottish First Minister after she declined to rule out asking those travelling to the country from the rest of the UK to quarantine for 14 days if the science supports such a move.

Speaking earlier this week, Ms Sturgeon said she had “no plans to introduce anything like this just now but I’m not ruling anything out, if it’s required from a public health perspective“.

That prompted anger from Boris Johnson, who on Wednesday branded the suggestion “absolutely astonishing and shameful”.

Going further on Thursday, Mr Rees-Mogg linked Ms Sturgeon to the US president, who came into office on a controversial promise to build a border wall between the US and Mexico.

The Cabinet minister hit back after it the SNP's Tommy Sheppard said the Government was "led by someone who thinks the border does not exist".

Mr Rees-Mogg said: “He mentions borders, and I noticed that Nicola Sturgeon wishes to have a wall - perhaps she is modelling herself on other leading political figures - between England and Scotland.

"But as my right honourable friend the Prime Minister said, there is no border between England and Scotland and it was shameful to call for a border of that type of kind to be erected to stop people travelling freely between constituent parts of the United Kingdom.

"One never thought that Nicola Sturgeon would model herself on American political figures and want to build a wall — at least a metaphorical wall if not actually getting like Hadrian with the bricks and mortar."

Related

Will Keir Starmer's "Iron Fist" Party Management Backfire?

By Rob Merrick

16 Nov

PoliticsHome Newsletters

PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe