STURGEON: I’M KEEPING OPTIONS OPEN
First Minister keeps options open in bid to scupper BoJo
NICOLA Sturgeon yesterday signalled that the SNP could back holding a second Brexit referendum before a general election.
The First Minister wants an election to kick out the Tories as soon as possible but said she would not rule out another vote on the UK’s relationship with the EU first.
Speaking before her party’s conference opened in Aberdeen yesterday, she also warned Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn not to bother picking up the phone to her if he intended to block IndyRef2 as prime minister.
Her comments came as a poll showed support for independence running at 50 per cent.
Boris Johnson is desperately trying to thrash out a new Brexit deal ahead of a meeting of the EU Council at the end of this week.
If he fails to do so by Saturday, the so-called Benn Act kicks in and the Prime Minister will be legally obliged to seek another Brexit extension.
Westminster sources believe Johnson would fail to secure the support of MPs even if an agreement is reached with the EU.
Such an outcome would fatally undermine his authority and could lead to him being ousted and replaced by an interim government.
Both Labour and the SNP publicly favour a general election being called once a Brexit extension is secured, followed by a second EU referendum.
But the Tories are enjoying a large poll lead over Labour and a general election could keep Johnson in No10.
Senior Labour and SNP figures are now softening their call for an election to come ahead of a second Brexit referendum.
Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said any Johnson deal could be amended to include a second referendum.
Shadow Scottish Secretary Lesley Laird also said yesterday that a second Brexit referendum could come before a general election.
In an interview on The Andrew Marr Show, Sturgeon repeated her preference for an election to come first.
She said: “The better sequence of events, in principle and for practical reasons, is for the opposition to try to get rid of Boris Johnson in a vote of confidence, to have the extension secured and then have a general election secured as quickly as possible.”
However, she suggested this position could change, adding: “I have very deliberately tried not to close down options. This Brexit fiasco is in such a mess, the implications and the consequences are so potentially damaging, that I think any responsible leader wanting to do the right thing for the people they represent would keep all options open.”
The First Minister said there are
“practical” issues with an interim government being able to deliver a referendum, adding: “I question whether it would be possible for the opposition to come together, which is why I think an election, where parties can seek a mandate for a second referendum, is the better option. “But I am ruling nothing out.” Constitutional Relations Secretary Michael Russell last week said the SNP had an open mind on the order of events. He said: “We have focused presently on a general election.
“I think the prospects of enough time for a second referendum, followed by an election, don’t seem great, but if that became a prospect then I think it is not a prospect you could ignore.”
Meanwhile, Sturgeon confirmed she will request UK Government consent for IndyRef2 “over the next matter of weeks” as she presses ahead with plans to hold a vote in the latter half of 2020.
It came as the latest Panelbase poll found support for leaving the UK at 50 per cent, up from an average of 45 per cent last year.
Asked which outcome would leave Scotland best off economically, 45 per cent of those polled opted for an independent Scotland in the EU, while 35 per cent backed Scotland as part of the UK after Brexit.
The Referendums (Scotland) Bill, which makes provision for such a vote, was produced by the Scottish Government in May.
Sturgeon said: “As that legislation progresses, we will make that request for a Section 30 order.”
She also suggested she would not back a Labour government unless it agreed to transfer power over IndyRef2 to Holyrood.
Sturgeon said: “I say this to Jeremy Corbyn, or any Westminster leader who is looking to the SNP for support – if you don’t accept Scotland’s right to choose our own future, at a time of our own choosing, don’t even bother picking up the phone to me.”