EU expert: "Scotland can have independent migration rules without any border controls"

The director of an influential research group has said that Scotland can run its own migration system without jeopardising free movement with the rest of the UK. Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, said that rules could regulate workers rights through the tax system rather than through border checks. An expert on Russia, China, global governance, and UK-EU relations, Grant has been an important voice in the debate following the vote in England and Wales to exit the European Union in June 2016. Responding to claims that devolving migration would mean border problems for Scotland, Grant replied: “No. If Scotland has its own National Insurance numbers, it could take in EU citizens who are only allowed to work in Scotland.