... and he even claims Indyref 2 is ‘more credible’

TONY Blair has claimed the case for second independence referendum is ‘much more credible’ following Brexit.

The former Prime Minister yesterday said that the UK’s decision to leave the EU has put the break-up of the country ‘back on the agenda’.

In a speech in London Mr Blair claimed that, aside from all the other problems he thinks Brexit will bring, it has reignited the argument over Scottish independence.

Following the UK-wide vote to leave the EU last June, Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly claimed a re-run of the divisive 2014 vote is ‘highly likely’.

And the First Minister has already published a draft bill on a second vote – with fears growing that she and SNP colleagues may soon be looking to announce another bid to break up the UK.

Yesterday Mr Blair further fuelled those concerns when he claimed that another Scottish independence referendum is ‘back on the agenda’.

He suggested that Miss Sturgeon’s argument that Scotland ‘voted to remain’ in the EU made another vote ‘much more credible’.

However, Mr Blair, who was born in Edinburgh and went to the city’s exclusive Fettes College, went on to say that he would not like to see Scotland become independent and that it would make little sense for the country economically.

He said: ‘There is the possibility of the breakup of the UK, narrowly avoided by the result of the Scottish referendum, but now back on the table – but this time with a context much more credible for the independence case.’

Questioned following his speech, he added: ‘I want Scotland to remain in the UK. Even if Brexit goes ahead, I’m still in favour of Scotland remaining in the UK.

‘Let’s be very clear, Scotland’s single market with England is of far greater importance to it economically than Scotland’s interaction with the rest of Europe.

‘When myself and John Major warned this

would be a threat to the UK we meant it, and it was true, and you can see that by the referendum coming back on the agenda.’

But Mr Blair’s comments were not supported by his former party’s MPs at Westminster.

Labour MP Ian Murray, who represents Edinburgh South, took the opposite view and claimed Scottish independence was now less desirable following Brexit.

He said: ‘The reality is that the economic case for separation is even worse now that when the people of Scotland rejected it in 2014.

‘On jobs, public finances, currency, trade, investment in schools and hospitals, and much more, Scotland benefits from remaining part of the UK.

‘As Tony Blair said, the UK single market is our most important market. Labour will not support any SNP plan for another independence referendum. It’s time the Nationalists focused on the day job of fixing the mess they have made of Scotland’s schools and getting a grip of the crisis in our NHS.’

The Scottish Conservatives last night claimed that the SNP had failed to use Brexit to ‘muster support for separation’.

Tory chief whip John Lamont said: ‘Tony Blair may not be aware of it, but the fact is that only around a quarter of people in Scotland want another referendum on independence now.

‘The SNP has tried to use Brexit to muster support for separation. It has failed. That is because, as the majority of people in Scotland know, we solve none of the challenges of leaving the European Union by separating ourselves from our own union of nations.’