Salmond: Second vote on independence ‘ inevitable’
A SECOND referendum on independence for Scotland is “inevitable”, Alex Salmond predicted yesterday.
The former Scottish National Party leader, who is back at Westminster as an MP, said David Cameron’s alleged refusal to increase devolution of power from Westminster to Edinburgh meant a fresh vote was needed.
His warning on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show marked a U- turn on his insistence after last year’s vote that the issue had been settled “for a generation”.
Mr Salmond also claimed Government spending cuts and the possibility that Britain could vote to leave the EU increased the need for a new poll on Scotland’s future.
The MP for Gordon said: “The question is not the inevitability, it’s the timing and that is very much in the hands of Nicola Sturgeon.”
Mr Salmond was scathing about Tory plans for only English MPs to vote on legislation that only applied to their part of the UK.
The former SNP leader claimed that an English Parliament should be established instead.
Meanwhile, a leading Scottish Tory said the union was “hanging by a thread”. Former minister Lord Forsyth claimed the move to “English votes for English laws” was not “helping” to keep the nation united.
Blaming “piecemeal changes to the constitution” for the current situation, he called for a new Act of Union.
A Tory spokeswoman said: “As part of our one nation approach the Government has introduced legislation to give Scotland new powers, creating one of the most powerful devolved legislatures in the world.
“It is fair that we balance this by giving English MPs a veto on issues that only affect England.”