Sturgeon told: You’ll have to wait years for new referendum
NICOLA Sturgeon will have to wait years for a second Scottish independence referendum after ministers last night vowed that negotiations would not even begin until after Brexit.
Minutes after the Scottish Parliament voted to give the First Minister their backing for a fresh poll, Scottish Secretary David Mundell ruled out entering into any negotiations before the UK has left the EU in two years.
As negotiating the terms of any referendum is likely to take two years to organise following a deal with Brussels, it means that the Scots are unlikely to face another divisive poll until 2022 at the very earliest.
Theresa May has already repeatedly told Miss Sturgeon that ‘now is not the time’ for another poll. But last night, the First Minister hinted she could stage an advisory ballot in the meantime unless ministers back down. She threatened to ‘take steps’ after Easter to defend the ‘will of the Scottish Parliament’ unless her demands were met.
Miss Sturgeon will formally seek permission from the UK Government for the second referendum later this week following last night’s vote in the Scottish Parliament, which the SNP won thanks to support from the Scottish Greens. MSPs voted 69 to 59 to support Miss Sturgeon in the poll that was postponed from last week after the terror attack in Westminster.
Miss Sturgeon said she hoped the UK Government would respect the will of the Scottish Parliament, but if it didn’t she will set out her next steps after Easter. SNP party figures have suggested she could go ahead with an unofficial referendum.
‘It is now the will of Scotland’s democratically elected national Parliament that discussions should begin with the UK Government to enable an independence referendum to be held,’ Miss Sturgeon said.
‘Today’s vote must now be respected. The mandate for a referendum is beyond question, and it would be democratically indefensible – and utterly unsustainable – to attempt to stand in the way of it.
‘We will now act on the mandate given to us by Parliament by making a formal approach to the UK Government within the next few days, after Article 50 has been triggered. This is, first and foremost, about giving the people of Scotland a choice on this country’s future.’
But Mr Mundell told BBC Scotland: ‘We won’t be entering into any negotiations at all until the Brexit process is complete. Now’s the time for the Scottish Government to come together with the UK Government, work together to get the best possible deal for the UK, and what that will mean for Scotland as we leave the EU.
‘We’re not entering into negotiations on whether there should be another independence referendum during the Brexit process. We don’t have a crystal ball as to how long that process will take.
‘It will be a journey that will involve the negotiations with the EU, it may be a journey that involves transitional measures, it may be a journey that will involve significant implementation time.
‘It’s not appropriate to have a referendum whilst people do not know what the future relationship between the UK and the EU is and they won’t know that until the Brexit process is complete.’
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said she was not frightened of debating independence, but added: ‘We will continue to oppose a second referendum every step of the way.
The majority of people in Scotland do not want it.’ Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: ‘There absolutely should not be another independence referendum until after Brexit. We have no idea what Brexit looks like, or how it will impact our economy and families in Scotland.’
A UK Government spokesman added: ‘The Prime Minister has been clear that now is not the time for an independence referendum, and we will not be entering into negotiations on the Scottish Government’s proposal. We have been joined together as one country for more than 300 years.
‘We’ve worked together, we’ve prospered together, we’ve fought wars together, and we have a bright future. We should be working together, not pulling apart.’
‘We don’t have a crystal ball’