The news comes as the MSP asked deputy First Minister John Swinney what action the Scottish Government was taking to protect the interests of Farmers and Crofters against a ‘no-deal’ scenario.

Responding, Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced that the Scottish Government has already made payments totalling over £327 million to 13,400 farmers and crofters as part of a basic payment scheme designed to provide earlier cash-flow and certainty of payment date instead of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments.

These advance loans are the single biggest mitigation action that the Scottish Government can provide to support farmers and crofters.

The payments, which were made last Friday (Oct 4^th), are the first such payments to be made in the UK.

Commenting, Ms. McAlpine said:

“I am pleased that the Scottish Government are taking such decisive action to protect the interests of Scotland’s farmers and crofters with a ‘no-deal’ Brexit looming.

“Rural parts of Scotland like Dumfries and Galloway will be disproportionately affected, with our farmers losing their Common Agricultural Policy payments and devastating tariffs on exports like sheep and beef.

“The Scottish Government continue to demonstrate that our farmers are an invaluable part of our society and economy, while the Tories continue to make a mess of things at Westminster.”

The U-turn on their position comes just two months after Ruth Davidson said the Scottish Tories ‘Won’t Support a No-Deal Brexit’.

Speaking about the development, Joan McAlpine MSP said:

“It is utterly shameful that not one single Scottish tory can bring themselves to stand up for Scotland and Scottish interests in the face of a lack of leadership from their Westminster bosses.

“A no-deal Brexit would devastate Scotland’s economy, and it’s already been made clear that the impacts on rural areas like Dumfries and Galloway would be catastrophic for local businesses and our hard-working farmers.

“The people of Dumfries and Galloway deserve to have their best interests represented on this issue which has the potential to make or break our economy, and the Tories have clearly shown they’d rather follow Boris Johnston into the uncertainty of a no-deal than stand up for the people they are elected to represent.”

• About 2,000 people in the UK need a stem cell transplant from a donor every year
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• It costs £40 to add each new donor to the register so we always need financial support
• To join the Anthony Nolan register, you must be 16-30 and healthy. Anthony Nolan’s world-leading Research Institute has shown younger donors offer better survival rates for patients.

South of Scotland SNP MSP Joan McAlpine has called on Conservative MPs David Mundell and Alister Jack to explain why they backed Boris Johnston’s illegal shut down of the UK parliament.

The proroguing of parliament was ruled unlawful today in a landmark ruling by the UK Supreme Court in which judges were unanimous.

Mr. Mundell and Mr. Jack both also voted against the ‘Benn Bill’ which protects the UK against a ‘no-deal’ Brexit, which Ms. McAlpine says is ‘unforgivable’ given that both MPs are well aware of the severe impacts which a ‘No-Deal’ Brexit will have on rural areas like Dumfries and Galloway.

Speaking after the announcement that Parliament should return as soon as possible, Joan McAlpine MSP said:

“I am proud of my friend and SNP colleague Joanna Cherry QC MP in leading this historic case which is a victory for democracy. David Mundell and Alister Jack have some serious explaining to do if they expect the people of Dumfries and Galloway to have any faith in their elected representatives.

“Supporting Boris Johnston’s attempts to pervert democracy just to get his own way and avoid parliamentary scrutiny is an affront to democracy and against the law. The people of this region deserve better.

“It is staggering that both MPs also voted against a Bill introduced to stop a no-deal Brexit from becoming a legal possibility. The impacts of a no-deal scenario on Dumfries and Galloway would be severe, with many of our key industries like farming and food and drink production being negatively impacted.”