Sturgeon eyes May 2021 for new vote on independence

SNP leader hints that a Corbyn government could be the key to securing a second referendum

NICOLA STURGEON yesterday said she wanted a second independence referendum by May 2021 and hinted that a Jeremy Corbyn government would give her the powers to call one.

The First Minister disappointed radical SNP members by refusing to ask Theresa May for the authority to stage a rerun of the 2014 vote.

In an attempt to placate them, ahead of this weekend’s party conference, she pledged to introduce legislation creating the framework and rules for any future referendum.

Ms Sturgeon admitted this would need the UK Government’s authority to be enacted and that Mrs May would not give her permission.

But she argued that the Tory government may soon be out of office, raising the prospect of a deal with Mr Corbyn in return for SNP votes to put him in Downing Street.

Her statement came the day after the Prime Minister’s spokesman confirmed that Theresa May would refuse any demand for a Section 30 order – the legislative device used to transfer the referendum powers. However, Mr Corbyn has repeatedly failed to rule out giving Ms Sturgeon the authority, saying he would consider any such request if and when it were made.

Ms Sturgeon set out her plans in a long-awaited statement to the Scottish Parliament on her independence plans, which she has repeatedly delayed citing the extended confusion around Brexit.

She claimed that Brexit had “broken” the current devolution settlement and unveiled plans for cross-party talks and a “Citizens’ Assembly” to discuss more powers for Holyrood.

But the Tories said her plea to “come together” was contradicted by her key demand for another “absurd and divisive” referendum within two years.

Setting out her preferred timing, Ms Sturgeon warned against rushing into an “immediate decision before a Brexit path has been determined”, as this would not allow for an “informed choice”.

However, she said that waiting “indefinitely” would not safeguard Scotland’s interests and a vote “should be offered in the lifetime of this parliament”.

Ms Sturgeon said the UK Government’s “current position is that it will not agree to transfer power”, but insisted “that position will prove to be unsustainable”.

She argued that progressing with a Bill setting out a future referendum’s rules would mean “we won’t squander valuable time now in a stand-off with a UK government that may soon be out of office”.

Asserting that a different government would give her the authority, she said: “We will seek agreement to a transfer of power at an appropriate point during or shortly after the Bill’s passage.”

The First Minister said the legislation would be ready on the statute book by the end of the year.

But Jackson Carlaw, the Scottish Tories’ interim leader, said: “Astonishingly, the way Nicola Sturgeon thinks we can come together is for Scotland to be plunged into another divisive referendum within the next 18 months.

“That is frankly absurd. The SNP’S plan is clearly to divide families, workplaces and communities all over again, and for the foreseeable future.”

The Prime Minister’s spokesman urged Ms Sturgeon to respect the result of the 2014 referendum and confirmed “our position hasn’t changed” on allowing another vote.