Gove gives ‘flat no’ to indyref2 as Javid rejects drug rooms
Michael Gove said he would respond with a “flat no” to a request from the Scottish Parliament to hold another independence referendum after one of his leadership rivals, Jeremy Hunt, suggested he could open negotiations with the SNP if it secures an outright majority at Holyrood.
Mr Hunt had set ‘three tests’ before indyref2 could be considered, but appeared to row back while answering yesterday, saying he wouldn’t allow the Union to be broken up “under any circumstances”.
As well as ruling out a second independence vote before the 2021 Scottish elections, Mr Hunt said the SNP had to provide clarity on which currency an independent Scotland would use, and rule out the prospect of an illegal “wildcat” vote.
But asked about his tests, Mr Hunt said: “I am a unionist to my core. I have Welsh blood and Irish blood. I spent part of my childhood in Scotland.
“I will never do anything to allow our Union to be broken up, under any circumstances.”
Asked if he had any tests on opening negotiations with the Scottish Government, Mr Gove said: “It’s a flat no.”
Sajid Javid, who has Ruth Davidson’s backing, however has said that he would not “allow” a second Scottish independence referendum, while Rory Stewart has said he would “make arguments against” indyref2 and would not reject it “in a dictatorial fashion”.
Meanwhile, Mr Javid has said his experience of growing up in an area blighted by drugs means he is not in favour of allowing the creation of safe drug consumption rooms.
Addressing the same leadership hustings event, the Home Secretary said his experience witnessing the impact of drugs on his community made him “very hesitant” to consider the policy.
In his ministerial role, Mr Javid has blocked requests from the Scottish Government, backed up by SNP MPS, to grant the powers to allow the creation of drug consumption rooms, which advocates argue would save the lives of at-risk users.
Drugs deaths in Scotland are at record levels, with 934 recorded in 1997 - double the UK average, and twice as many as 20 years ago.
Glasgow has seen an “unprecedented spike” in the numbers of deaths and overdoses, driven largely by the growth of street valium, and the Scottish Government has assembled a task force to respond to what it says is an “emergency”.
Asked whether he would reconsider his position as prime minister, Mr Javid referred to reports about past drug use by rival leadership candidates and said: “Call me the odd one out in this contest, but I didn’t take any drugs.
“And part of the reason was that I grew up on a street in Bristol that was the centre of the local drugs trade. When I walked out my door every day, and when I walked back from school, at weekends with friends and their families, I saw the impact of drugs growing up. That’s what put me off drugs, and I think that’s probably true for most of the population.
“I think I would be very hesitant to look at anything that might increase drug usage. Anything I do would be designed to get people completely off drugs, because they are a cancer on our society.”