Row over claim older Scots dying will boost support for Yes vote
● Former SNP Westminster leader’s analysis branded ‘new low’ for party
Former S NP Westminster leader Angus Robertson has come under fire over claims that older Scots dying has led to growing support for Scottish independence.
Opponents have branded the claims “shocking” and a “new low” for the SNP.
Mr Robertson was providing an analysis of the rise in sup - port for independence since the last referendum in 2014 in a weekend newspaper column. He stated: “This could be in significant part because of the underlying change in the electorate with roughly 55,000 predominantly Yes supporting 16-year-olds joining the electorate and 55,000 predominantly No supporting older voters passing away every year.
“Since 2014, this had added around 333,000 voters to the electorate with a likely net gain of over 100,000 for independence.”
But the claims came under fire from Tory leader Douglas Ross on Twitter.
He said :“Disgraceful and deeply disappointing comments from@ Angus robertson–suggesting that the most vulnerable age group, who have been hardest hit through the tragic loss of so many lives throughout the pandemic, are a boost to his independence obsession. A new low for the SNP.”
Labour MS P James Kelly added: “This is shocking from Angus Robertson. What sort of mind set does he have to write ‘55,000 predominantly No supporting older voters passing away every year’.”
The 2014 referendum saw 55 per cent of Scots vote to rejected independence, with 45 per cent voting in favour of leaving the UK.
The gap has been gradually narrowing since then and consent polling throughout this years how that support for independence is now the choice of a majority of Scots. One recent survey even suggested that the outcome from 2014 had been reversed, with a ten-point gap between support for independence that for the union.
But a separate survey earlier this week for Survation for Scotland in Union suggested that a majority of Scots would vote to stay in the UK after considering the issues, such as whether the country could keep the pound and if there would be a hard border with the rest of the UK. It also didn’t use the same question as 2014.
The S NP wants to stage a repeat of the 2014 referendum after the B rex it vote which saw a majority of Scots vote to remain in the EU, but the weight of votes south of the Border swung the outcome in favour of Remain.
Ms Sturgeon has pledged to publish legislation for a second referendum setting out the terms and timing of a future vote.
But constitutional issues in the UK are reserved to Westminster, meaning the Prime Minister has the final say on the matter and has ruled out granting a Section 30 order which would allow the Scottish Parliament to stage an independence referendum. The issue is likely to dominate next year’ s Scottish Par li ament election campaign.