STURGEON: We’ll hold IndyRef2 before end of 2023

First Minister insists new vote is ‘democratic mandate’ »»Pledge to plough cash into NHS & National Care Service

NICOLA Sturgeon wants a new independence referendum by the end of 2023 – if Scotland has moved beyond the pandemic.

The First Minister told MSPs yesterday that work would restart on a “detailed prospectus” explaining how the country could go its own way if voters chose to end the Union.

The SNP leader announced last year that civil servants would halt all independence planning to focus on the coronavirus response.

But plans for IndyRef2 were stepped up a gear yesterday as Sturgeon unveiled her new programme for government.

Sturgeon made the revelation while setting out her plans to plough more cash into the NHS and take the first steps towards creating a National Care Service.

She said a forthcoming bill will “implement what is arguably the most significant public service reform since the creation of the National Health Service” and pledged funding for social care would rise by at least £800million over the next five years.

The Scottish Child Payment, a £10-a-week benefit which helps hard-up families, will be doubled to £20 a week as “early within the life of the parliament as possible”, the First Minister added.

To help close the povertyrelated attainment gap in Scotland’s schools, Sturgeon added there would be a further investment of £1billion over the course of this Parliament.

Over the same period spending on the frontline health services will increase by 20 per cent – meaning that by 2026-27, the budget for this should be £2.5billion higher than it is today.

Sturgeon also confirmed that miners convicted of certain offences in Scotland during the bitter 1984-85 strike action will be pardoned.

The First Minister said the pardon – which has been championed by the Record – would bring closure to workers involved, their families and former pit communities.

She insisted her government’s programme “sets out clear plans to lead Scotland out of the greatest health crisis in a century and transform our nation and the lives of those who live here”.

But the commitment to press on with an IndyRef2 prompted the biggest reaction from opposition MSPs.

“Our democratic mandate to allow people to decide the country’s future is beyond question,” she said.

“And at this juncture in history, it is essential that we consider the kind of country we want to be, and how best to secure it. As we emerge from the pandemic, choices fall to be made that will shape our economy and society for decades to come.

“Which parliament – Westminster or Holyrood – should make these choices? And what principles will they be guided by?

“These are questions which cannot be avoided, nor postponed until the die is already cast. So we intend to offer the choice.

“We will do so only when the Covid crisis has passed but our aim, Covid permitting, is that it will be in the first half of this Parliament – before the end of 2023.”

Sturgeon added: “Crucially, we will ensure that the choice – when it comes – is a fully informed one.

“To that end, I can confirm that the Scottish Government will now restart work on the detailed prospectus that will guide the decision.

“The case for independence is strong and we will present it openly, frankly and with confidence.”

But the SNP leader revealed that legislation to make the referendum a reality will not be tabled in the next year, with the UK Government still firmly opposed to the idea.

The 2014 vote on the constitution was only made legally binding after Westminster agreed to temporarily loan Holyrood the powers required under a Section 30 order.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other Tory ministers have repeatedly said they will reject any referendum call from the Scottish

Government as they argue the issue was settled in 2014 and the priority must now be the coronavirus recovery.

Responding to Sturgeon’s speech, Anas Sarwar said: “Scotland needed a programme for government that recognised the scale of the challenge facing our country.

“Instead, it has got a plan that isn’t good enough, it isn’t bold enough and it won’t do enough.

“Barely a week goes by without someone from the government’s front benches declaring something mundane, rebadged or self-serving as historic.

“But the dire truth is that despite the SNP’s rhetoric, the only thing historic today is the levels of child poverty on our streets, the numbers waiting for treatment in our hospitals, and the depth of the economic crisis facing Scotland.”

The Scottish Labour leader added: “In the face of those challenges, this is a tired and rehashed programme from a party that has clearly run out of big ideas.

“We are up against a global pandemic, a growing healthcare crisis, a jobs crisis and a climate emergency – there is no time to waste. And this may surprise the First Minister but there are ideas bigger than independence.”

It sets out clear plans to transform our nation NICOLA STURGEON ON PLANS FOR PARLIAMENT