Brexit costing Scotland £3 billion a year, SNP minister warns on anniversary of referendum

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Brexit is costing Scotland a staggering £3 billion each year in lost public revenues, a senior SNP minister has warned.Angus Robertson spelled out the continuing economic damage caused by the decision to leave the EU on what is the seventh anniversary of the fateful referendum.An overwhelming majority of voters in Scotland backed remaining in Europe at the vote on June 23, 2016.Robertson, the Constitution Secretary, said Brexit had limited economic growth, restricted trade, increased food costs and diminished opportunities for young people.A Scottish Government report out today found that 44 per cent of businesses blamed leaving the EU as the main cause of their difficulty in trading overseas.It pointed to the example of shellfish exporters who now face additional estimated costs of up to £600 per consignment due to trade barriers.It also pointed to staff shortages being reported by 45 per cent of tourism businesses in the Highland and islands, as a result of the loss of freedom of movement.Scots also face more costly and difficult travel arrangements with long transit delays at ports and airports.It comes as the Record continues its Broken Brexit series which has examined the impact of leaving the EU on different parts of the Scottish economy.Robertson said: "Seven years after people in Scotland resoundingly rejected Brexit, the Scottish Government has published a paper that lays clear the damage it has inflicted."Brexit means Scotland has now left the world’s biggest single market and no longer enjoys freedom of movement, resulting in labour shortages across the NHS, agriculture, and our hospitality sector."Consumers and businesses continue to face a cost of living crisis driven by rampant food inflation, while produce