The EU would be open to Scotland joining but 'very reluctant' to let the UK return, expert says

An EU expert has claimed that Scotland could be welcomed back into the European Union but would be reluctant to accept the rest of the UK.

During a pro-EU online conference, Kirsty Hughes who is the former director of Scottish Centre on Europe Relations predicted that Brussels would have 'complete openness' to Scotland joining the EU, if they voted for independence from the United Kingdom in a legally binding referendum.

Hughes is quoted by the New European as saying:

On the Scottish side I think there is complete openness if Scotland was to vote Yes in a constitutionally and legally valid referendum. There is complete openness to welcoming another small, northern European country into the European Union.

However, she did add that this situation is unlikely to play out if there was a strong disagreement between London and Edinburgh over the referendum adding:

Frankly any big country applying to join the EU, whether it is Turkey or Ukraine or the UK, is always much more problematic usually than a smaller country.

While this sounds like good news for any pro-EU activists in Scotland, it doesn't sound like the EU will be very receptive if the UK decides that after all this, they want to return to the European Union. Hughes said:

I think the EU would be very reluctant in the near future to welcome a penitent UK back. It would have to be more than penitent, it would have to be one that had clearly worked through all its political, democratic, constitutional problems and come out the other side of that.

Hughes added that the politicians in Europe have been left feeling 'disappointed, upset, angry and many other things at the Brexit vote' and to be honest, they aren't the only ones.