Scotland uneasy about Northern Ireland gaining Brexit advantage

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Brexit deal that would give Northern Ireland a competitive advantage over the rest of Britain would raise real issues for Scotland, which also wants to keep access to the EU single market, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Monday.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon arrives for a meeting with European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 28, 2018. REUTERS/Emmanuel Dunand/Pool via REUTERS

Sturgeon, speaking at an event hosted by the Politico news website in Brussels, said she had told EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier earlier in the day that Scotland wanted to stay in the European Union’s customs union and the single market.

Northern Ireland, due to concerns in London, Dublin and Brussels about rewed tensions across its land border with EU member Ireland, is being offered a chance by EU negotiators to retain effective coverage by EU economic regulations after Brexit.

Reporting by Alastair Macdonald and Megan Dollar, writing by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Alastair Macdonald