UK says it will knock back referendum bid Opposition united to blast poll
THE political cat and mouse over Brexit and independence continued at Holyrood as a majority of MSPs voted in favour of a second referendum.
No sooner had the MSPs backed a bid to hold the poll than the UK Government said there would be no deal and no talks entered into.
Ahead of the vote, Nicola Sturgeon confirmed her timetable of action for her next moves.
The First Minister said she would wait until after Prime Minister, Theresa May triggers Article 50 to begin the process of Brexit before submitting her formal request for powers to hold a referendum.
Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that she would return to Holyrood after the Easter recess in three weeks and set out her next step.
Before the request has even been submitted however, the UK Government said it would be knocked back.
A spokeswoman said: “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.”
MSPs voted 69 to 59 in favour of seeking a second referendum with the Greens and SNP in favour and the Conservatives, Labour and he LibDems voting against.
The First Minister said it would be “indefensible” for the UK Government to stand in the way of a referendum.
Ms Sturgeon said: “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.
“Today’s vote must now be re- spected. 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.”
She added: “This is, first and foremost, about giving the people of Scotland a choice on this country’s future.
“We know that Brexit threatens a hugely damaging and uncertain future for Scotland, and it would not be right if the people of Scotland, having been told in 2014 that the only way to protect our place in Europe was to vote against independence, were denied a choice.”
The UK Government spokeswoman said: “At this point, all our focus should be on our negotiations with the European Union, making sure we get the right deal for the whole of the UK.
“It would be unfair to the people of Scotland to ask them to make a crucial decision without the necessary information about our future relationship with Europe.” LABOUR and the Conservatives again stated their opposition to a second referendum with both leaders arguing the country did not want another referendum.
Together with the Liberal Democrats, every Labour and Conservative MSP voted against the Scottish Government’s proposal to seek powers to hold a second vote.
Kezia Dugdale, Labour leader, said: “Scotland doesn’t need or want a second independence referendum. There is absolutely no evidence that another divisive referendum is the will of the people of Scotland.
“We need the SNP government to get on with the job of governing.”
During the debate the Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson delivered an angry response, at one point even telling the First Minister to “sit down” when Ms Sturgeon asked to intervene during her speech.
She said: “We have made it clear, now is not the time to go back to another divisive referendum. Not when there is no public support for one. Not when the SNP said the last referendum would be once in a generation. Not when we have no clear picture as to what either Brexit or independence will look like.”
Willie Rennie, LibDem leader said: “If this debate has shown us anything it’s that the case for yet another independence referendum is increasingly feeble.”