The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Fresh mandate for Indy needed, Corbyn claims
Labour leader says another vote would need justification
Pro-independence parties would need to secure a fresh mandate before a Jeremy Corbyn Labour government would consider a second Scottish independence referendum.
On a campaign visit to Dunfermline, Mr Corbyn said there is no mandate in Scotland for another referendum vote.
SNP MP Tommy Sheppard said the Scottish parliament already had a “cast-iron mandate” to trigger another referendum.
The Labour leader, who visited a community centre in the Fife town before making a tour of the recently fireravaged Woodmill High School, said if elected, his government would invest £70 billion in Scotland.
Asked how he planned to win back SNP voters, Mr Corbyn pointed out Labour had run the nationalists a close second in 2017 and his main priority was stopping a Tory government.
Mr Corbyn played down talk of a rift between the London office and Scottish Labour, following remarks by himself and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell earlier this month they would not oppose a second referendum.
Scottish Labour campaigned at the last election on the basis of opposing a second independence vote.
Mr Corbyn said: “We are not in favour of a second independence referendum.
“An incoming Labour government’s priority would be investment across the whole of the UK, including £70bn in Scotland, dealing with Universal Credit and all the other issues the coalition government and now the Tory government with DUP support has put upon the people of this country.
“Our priority is seeing off no-deal Brexit, but an incoming Labour government would, therefore, oppose an independence referendum in the immediate aftermath of a general election we had won.
“A fresh mandate would be one which came through the Scottish parliament and would be an indication the people there wanted it. At the moment the indication is not that.
“I had a convivial conversation with Richard Leonard this morning and we get on extremely well. There isn’t a problem. Clearly, our priority is electing a Labour government. We are going to get Labour MPs for Scotland and that is why we are campaigning here in Dunfermline.”