PM urges voters to send a message over referendum

The Prime Minister has urged voters in Scotland to use May’s council elections to make clear to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that they do not want to have another independence referendum.

Theresa May said voters should choose the Conservatives in the local government ballot to send a “clear message” on the constitution.

Ever since the UK voted to leave the European Union but Scotland voted to stay in, there has been speculation that the Scottish Government will seek to hold another referendum.

Ms Sturgeon has warned that Mrs May’s plans for a hard Brexit, taking the UK out of the single market, “undoubtedly” made that a more likely prospect.

But writing in Holyrood magazine, the Prime Minister said her party would be “looking forward to the local elections in May, when voters across Scotland will have the chance to send a clear message to the SNP that they do not want a second independence referendum, by voting Scottish Conservative and Unionist”.

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour has launched a dedicated website Together Stronger. scot, where people can register their objection to a possible second independence referendum.

Kezia Dugdale called on people to do so if they “believe that our country is already divided enough” and that the First Minister should “shelve her plans for a second referendum”.

An SNP spokesman said: “There is already a cast-iron democratic mandate for an independence referendum – that was delivered in last year’s Holyrood election, however much the Tories might try to deny it.

“That mandate also stems from the EU referendum, which saw Scotland vote by a 24-point margin to stay in Europe – and Theresa May’s reckless pursuit of an economically ruinous hard Brexit will only strengthen opinion in Scotland against leaving Europe.”

Message to voters: Theresa May.