Sturgeon urged to drop independence campaign because of new lockdown
Ni cola Sturgeon has been urged to cancel plans for a second independence referendum as C ovid -19 rips through the country for a second time.
Opposition leaders have label led plans to continue with the push to pass a referendum bill, which would provide a legislative framework for a second referendum, by May as “absurd”.
Both the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Conservatives called on the SNP to cancel the plans following the announcement of a new Covid-19 lockdown on Monday.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie R en ni es aid recover y from the “colossal new wave” of Covid-19 must be put first and the campaign for independence should be “locked down”.
He said: “The last time people were told to stay at home the First Minister suspended her constitutional campaign and stopped all work in government on the matter. The country and the NHS are now in an even more perilous situation, so she needs to do that again.” Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross labelled any decision to prioritise inde - pendence “absurd” and “irresponsible”.
He said :“We can’ t waste time on the same constitutional arguments of the last 13 years when all our attention should be on moving on from this pandemic.”
In response, a spokesperson for the First Minister said :“No one is proposing holding an independence referendum in the middle of the pandemic–unlike the Tories, who have disgracefully ploughed ahead with Brexit amid the Covid crisis.”