Starmer acknowledges rising support for indyref2 but says pandemic is priority
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he cannot deny a recent increase in support for Scottish independence, but he believes coronavirus should take priority over another referendum.
Support for independence has steadily increased in recent months since polls in June foundit wasmorepopularthan staying in the union for the first time.
The surge culminated last week when an Ipsos Mori survey for STV found 58 per cent of people asked wereinsupport of leaving the UK.
In a "Call Keir" event held with voters in Glasgow, the Labour leader said the Scottish Government's focus should be on the pandemic.
On rising support for independence, he said: "There's no point in me contending that doesn't broadly reflect where a lot of people are in Scotland, I don'tthinkthat'sacredibleposition to take."
Sir Keir said a number of other polls had shown independence is not a priority for people in Scotland, with tackling the pandemic and the economic recoverybeingforemostinpeople's minds.
Asurvationpollinseptember of 1,008 Scots found fewer than one third had independence as a top priority.
Hesaid: "I think that feeds into an argument that, in the middle of a pandemic, it really isn't the time to be having a discussion about independence, it's the time to be working through how we're going to respond to the pandemic."
Last week's poll showed Scot
tish Labour's support was at 13 percentin the constituency and list votes, withthepartyremaining in third position.
The Labour leader said he is working with colleagues north of the border "every week" in preparation for next year's Holyrood election.
Sir Keir's intervention comes days after Scottish Constitutionsecretarymikerussellsaid another independencereferen
dum could be held as early as the latter part of next year.
Thescottish Governmenthas pledged to publish a draft Bill before the May election outlining the timescale and question for another vote.
Mr Russell told the BBC on Wednesday:" If thescottishpeople endorse ( the draft Bill at the election) and wish it to happen, then it must happen, and we're not going to do anything other
than assume that it will happen in those circumstances - if the Scottish people speak then they have to be heard and there will have to be a referendum.
"That could take place, I'm sure, before the end of next year."
Sir Keir also defended his party's position on a controversial Bill which would allow undercover agents to break the law during the event.
The Labour leader ordered his MPS to abstain on the third reading of the Covert Human Intelligence Sources( CHIS) Bill, alsoknownasthe" spycopsbill".
H o w e v e r, 3 4 o f t h e m , including former leader Jeremy Corbyn, defied the whip and voted against the legisl ation which human rights g r o u p s h a v e s a i d wo u l d allow undercover officers to rape, murder and torture in the name of national security.
Challenged on the party's abstention by student Jarrod Grant, the Labour leader said "there is no bigger advocate for human rights" than him, and told Mr Grant that any powers authorisedforusebyundercover agents would have to comply with the Human Rights Act.