UK PM Johnson faces criticism over Scotland trip in lockdown

 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced accusations Thursday that he is t abiding by country's lockdown rules as he visited Scotland to laud rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines across United Kingdom.

With a raft of polling showing increased support for Scottish independence from U.K., Johnson's visit to promote benefits of union stands to be overshowed by lockdown dispute.

Although Scotland has its own government in Edinburgh that has an array powers from public health through to education, it remains part of U.K. under which London still has huge influence.

“Mutual co-operation across U.K. throughout this pandemic is exactly what people of Scotland expect and it is what I have been focused on,” Johnson said.

U.K. has endured Europe's deliest coronavirus outbreak with more than 102,000 virus-linked deaths but it has been among world's leers in rolling out a virus vaccination program.Johnson, who has alrey visited a laboratory at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow as part of his trip, is arguing that Scotland is benefiting from his Conservative government's approach to getting vaccine shots out quickly.

Critics say prime minister is politicking at a time when U.K. is in a strict lockdown as a result of a huge resurgence of virus that Johnson has largely blamed on a new variant first identified around London and souast England.Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described Johnson's visit as “t essential,” in same way that a visit by herself to ar part of Scotland would t be deemed essential under current lockdown rules.

Sturgeon, whose Scottish National Party wants to hold ar referendum on Scotland's independence, is way ahe in polls ahe of a general election in May, with some showing support at over 50%.Should SNP win a clear majority, Sturgeon has said she will look to hold ar vote on Scotland's future. Johnson, who under law would have to back a referendum to make it legal, has indicated that he won't do so, arguing that as recently as 2014 Scotland voted to stay part of U.K. by a clear majority.

Sturgeon argues situation has changed dramatically since n because Britain has left European Union, even though voters in Scotland overwhelmingly backed remaining part of bloc. That break became a harsh business reality on Jan. 1.

In Scotland, Sturgeon's government has been widely seen as handling pandemic well. At key moments, she is seen as having taken a more cautious approach than Johnson.Ahe of visit, Michael Gove, a close ally of Johnson's, insisted prime minister's visit was “absolutely essential” because Johnson has to ensure that country's vaccine rollout is working properly.

“It’s critically important that Scottish government and U.K. government are working toger to do everything we can to support rollout and see what we can do to improve it," he told BBC rio.

Even Keir Starmer, leer of opposition Labour Party, came to Johnson's support.

“I’m with prime minister on this one," he said on rio station LBC. “It’s important that he travels to see what is going on, on ground.”