Now isn’t the right time, May tells Sturgeon
THERESA May will today unveil her new “plan for Britain” after she crushed Nicola Sturgeon’s attempts to wreck Brexit, saying she will block a Scottish independence referendum until after we leave the EU.
In a keynote speech, the Prime Minister will make it clear that now is the time for the “country to come together” and vow to work only “in the national interest” for all parts of the UK to “get the best possible Brexit deal”.
Yesterday she decisively rejected the “divisive politics” of Ms Sturgeon and the SNP and rejected their demand for a referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019 – before Britain has left the EU.
Mrs May branded the attempt by Ms Sturgeon to turn Scot against Scot – in a rerun of the bitter 2014 independence referendum – as “unfair” and warned that voters in Scotland would not have a clear idea of what the options were. She added that “now is not the right time” to revisit Scotland’s place in the UK, suggesting she could be open to another vote once Brexit is settled.
Furious
A furious Ms Sturgeon, who was a loser in both the independence referendum of 2014 and historic EU referendum last year, last night let rip at “undemocratic” Mrs May, accusing the PM of “untenable” behaviour and “running scared” of the electorate as the bitter war of words between the two leaders escalated.
Ms Sturgeon claimed that her demand for a Scottish referendum was justified because Mrs May has not agreed to her demands to let Scotland stay in the Single Market.
But the confused Scottish First Minister has seen her policy in chaos in the days after announcing her demand on Monday – first having to accept that Scotland would have to apply to rejoin the EU and then being told by Iceland that it will not automatically be allowed into the European Free Trade Association.
Mrs May’s words will be a huge relief to the majority of voters in Scotland, who have made it clear in a series of polls that they do not want another independence referendum following the “once in a generation” event in 2014.
More than 160,000 people – mostly Scottish voters – have signed a petition pleading with Mrs May to block the bid to torpedo Brexit and end the 300 years of Union between Scotland and England.
The Scottish Parliament is due to vote to ask for a “section 30 order” from the UK Government to trigger a referendum. But yesterday Scottish Secretary David Mundell confirmed that the UK Government will not even discuss the issue until Brexit is complete.
He warned that Scotland is leaving the EU whether it stays in the UK or not, claiming that it was “a deceit” by Ms Sturgeon to suggest otherwise.
He and Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said that any future referendum would require evidence of a desire for one by a majority in Scotland and political consensus between Holyrood and Westminster.
In her speech at the Conservative Spring Forum in Cardiff today, Mrs May will lay out her plan for a “brighter future” outside the EU.
She will say: “Our Plan for Britain is to make the most of the opportunities ahead and to build a stronger, fairer Britain that is more united and more outward-looking. A plan to get the right deal for Britain abroad yes, but also a better deal for ordinary, working people here at home.” On the importance of unity in the UK, she will say:
“That Union is more than just a constitutional artefact. It is a Union between all of our citizens, whoever we are and wherever we’re from. So our Plan for Britain will put strengthening and sustaining the Union at its heart.
“It means taking the big decisions when they’re the right ones for Britain in the long-term – putting the national interest above any other consideration. And it means ensuring that we act in the interests of the whole country – creating jobs and supporting cities, towns and communities right across our United Kingdom.”
Reflecting on the EU referendum result, she will say that it was not just a vote to leave the EU. She will say it was an instruction to change the way our country works – and the people for whom it works – forever. Continuing her optimistic vision, Mrs May will say: “We will get the right deal for Britain abroad – forging a new partnership with our friends and allies in Europe, but looking beyond Europe to build relationships with old friends and new allies around the world, too.”
She will promise that Brexit will bring a fairer society, a stronger economy and “a more united nation”.
THANK goodness that in Westminster at least there is a grown-up in charge. Yesterday Theresa May slapped down Nicola Sturgeon’s demands for another Scottish independence referendum, telling her that “now is not the time”.
Given that defeat would inevitably end in Sturgeon’s resignation the Prime Minister has turned down a golden opportunity to rid us of the deeply irritating First Minister. However, as tempting as that prospect sounds, Mrs May was right to refuse her request.
Getting the best Brexit deal for the UK should be the priority of everybody involved in British politics. It is wrong for Sturgeon to use this time of important change as an excuse for mischief-making.
The First Minister is being selfish. This is all about her overwhelming desire to destroy the Union, not about serving the Scottish people. Polls clearly indicate that a majority of people north of the border have no interest in independence and certainly do not want to have to endure another major referendum campaign – they have had two in the past three years.
Even within Sturgeon’s party there is far from universal enthusiasm for her plan to quit the UK and stay in the EU. Roughly a third of SNP members are Brexiteers who voted Leave in the referendum.
All the while the standard of public services in Scotland is steadily declining despite the massive subsidy the Scottish government receives from English taxpayers. If the First Minister were a serious politician she would be focusing on reversing this appalling trend rather than agitating for an unwanted and unwinnable referendum.