Give Scottish two votes on independence, says Major

SIR John Major has said that offering two votes on Scottish independence – including a confirmatory referendum once negotiations over separation are complete – could break an impasse over the future of the UK.

In a lecture last night, the former prime minister warned that Boris Johnson’s current strategy of refusing to allow a second referendum under any circumstances could play into the SNP’S hands.

Instead, he suggested that UK ministers could agree that an independence referendum takes place, but only on the condition that a second vote was held so that “Scottish electors would know what they were voting for, and be able to compare it to what they now have”.

Nicola Sturgeon was one of the leading voices in favour of a People’s Vote after the UK voted to leave the EU. Although the campaign to secure a second EU referendum failed, the arguments put forward i n favour of a referendum on the final Brexit deal were similar to Sir John’s proposal for a two-vote process on independence.

Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, said last week that the UK Government would continue to refuse to allow another referendum to take place for decades, even if the SNP won a majority at next year’s Holyrood elections.

Sir John said that while he remained a “convinced unionist”, keeping the UK together would require “consensus, consideration and consultation”.

He said: “Refusing [a referendum] might help the separatist case, by adding to the list of grievances the Scottish National Party exploit with such skill.”

Kirsten Oswald, the deputy leader of the SNP’S Westminster group, said Sir John’s comments should serve as a “wake-up call” for Boris Johnson, saying his pledge to block a new referendum was “undemocratic” and “straight out of the Trump playbook”.