Tories: ‘Sturgeon is putting party before the pandemic’
● SNP under attack over suggestion of independence vote before end of year
Scottish Conservatives’ leader Douglas Ross has accused Nicola Sturgeon of abandoning her role as First Minister of Scotland to put her focus on being SNP leader and then planning a “reckless and irresponsible” second independence referendum.
Mr Ross will outline his criticism of the First Minister in a speech today responding to the SNP'S roadmap for a second vote on independence, which states that a ballot will be called if a pro-independence majority is elected in May's Holyrood election.
Constitution Secretary Michael Russell reportedly indicated to activists last week that a ballot could be held six months after MSPS pass a referendum bill, which is expected in June.
There have now been 20 consecutive polls showing a higher level of support for independence than remaining in the UK. In his speech,
Mr Ross will say “Nicola Sturgeon is back to being the SNP leader. She’s no longer the First Minister from the start of this pandemic.
“There is no getting away from it, the timing of this plan is reckless and irresponsible.
“She has put party before pandemic and risked damaging trust in the government when it is needed most. When she pushes for indyref2 this year, the public cannot trust Nicola Sturgeon to do the right thing.”
In a speech billed as the unionist response, Mr Ross will also call for politicians to work together to get through the pandemic. He will say: “The Scottish Fiscal Commission are predicting our economy and job market won’t return to normal until about 2024.
“It is the duty of all politicians to come together and focus on the national interest in a time of crisis.
“So you can imagine the sheer outrage that people across the country felt when the SNP launched a new indyref2 taskforce and an 11-point plan to deliver a Catalonia-style referendum.
“It has brought politics – and that same, old divisive constitutional debate – back to the fore.
"How can the Scottish Government credibly argue that this announcement is above party politics and in the interests of all of Scotland?”
SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said his party was “determined” to give people a choice in how they were governed.
He said: "This is a patently ridiculous and deeply hypocritical attack from a party more interested in desperate soundbites than working constructively to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Scottish Government is absolutely focused on tackling the pandemic, which remains everyone’s top priority, and paused work on independence last year at the start of the Covid crisis – unlike the Tories who disgracefully ploughed ahead with Brexit in the middle of the pandemic."while Douglas Ross carps from the sidelines, the First Minister will continue to be fully focused on helping steer the country through this crisis."
Earlier yesterday Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said an independence referendum held without the permission of Westminster would be illegal.
He said: "I'm afraid the constitution is a reserved matter, it would be an illegal referendum, let's be clear about that." He said it was "not the time" for another vote on the constitution in Scotland, repeating that senior figures in the Yes campaign and its own white paper had said the vote was "once in a generation". He added: "We can't go into a process of 'neverendums' until eventually they get one that they win, that's not what responsible government is about. "We had a referendum in 2014, we're now in a global pandemic, we're going to have a double-dip recession the way things are going. "It's about recovering our economy as one United Kingdom, pulling together, doing the trade deals we want to do, improving Scotland's economy and rebuilding it as quickly as we can, and after we've saved people's lives with this vaccine, then saving their livelihoods."