Sturgeon said the pledge would protect up to 20,000 EU nationals who work in Scotland’s hospitals, schools, universities and public agencies who face losing their UK residency after Brexit. The measure was unveiled on Sunday as the Scottish National party gathered for a subdued conference, its first since it lost 21 Westminster seats in June when voters rejected Sturgeon’s attempt to use Brexit as the justification for a fresh Scottish independence referendum. The offer to pay residency costs for any EU citizen working in the public sector will be popular among SNP activists. The Scottish government would want EU nationals to have a vote in a future Scottish independence referendum, as they did in the 2014 referendum. Public sector unions are pressing her government to increase pay across the board by 5%, after Sturgeon pledged to lift the 1% cap on public sector pay, putting her budgets under even greater pressure.

Source: The Guardian October 08, 2017 11:38 UTC