The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
SNP hints at support for second EU referendum
Party offers Lib Dems olive branch to sit down in talks over new vote
The Brexit Secretary has floated the possibility of the SNP backing a second referendum on leaving the EU.
Michael Russell says he would sit down with the Scottish Liberal Democrats to discuss how the public could make a decision “based on fact” on whether to depart the bloc.
Nicola Sturgeon put forward a plan to give Scots a choice between Brexit as negotiated by the UK Government and an independent Scotland striving to get back into the EU. However, that strategy – based on holding Indyref2 between autumn next year and spring 2019 – was dropped following the general election.
Mr Russell said he is now happy to talk to Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie on a referendum on the final Brexit deal.
“I do think there are grounds for saying at some stage the final settlement will have to be considered again but it’s not now,” he told the Sunday Politics Show.
He said Mr Rennie’s proposals sound similar to those put forward by Ms Sturgeon to offer a choice between Brexit and independence.
“I don’t rule that (a second EU referendum) out by any manner of means,” he said.
“In principle it’s an idea that doesn’t just belong to Willie Rennie and Vince Cable.
“Lots of people have talked about how you actually get people to make a decision based on fact because what happened in June last year was a decision based on no information at all.”
Mr Russell said we are “heading for a constitutional crisis” if the UK Government does not change the Repeal Bill to “cure” it of elements it says will deprive Holyrood of devolved Brussels powers.
The bill will transfer EU laws on to UK statute books at the point of Brexit and sets out what will happen to repatriated powers.
A rare conciliatory tone was struck at Holyrood last week when the Scottish Tories and SNP said they would engage in talks to try and resolve the powers row.
Jackson Carlaw, for the Scottish Conservatives, accused Ms Sturgeon of a “drama queen” performance over her power grab claims but said her Brexit Secretary had behaved in a “more rational and calm way”.
He said they could back the SNP’s suggestions for changes to the Repeal Bill.
Mr Carlaw added: “We don’t believe it’s the design nor the desire to have this so-called power grab they visualise but then we want to work to see if there are amendments they are proposing which we can support.”