MAY SLAPS DOWN SNP’S NEW BID TO SPLIT UP UK
PM’s defiant message to Sturgeon: You do NOT have a mandate for Indyref 2
THERESA May has delivered a withering put- down to Nicola Sturgeon by insisting that she has ‘no mandate’ to launch another battle to break up Britain. The Prime Minister’s spokesman called for Miss Sturgeon to respect the ‘resounding result’ of the 2014 referendum after the SNP leader published her blueprint for another vote on tearing Scotland out of the UK.
but yesterday senior SNP figures signalled that they could fire the starting gun on another referendum campaign as early as next March – less than three years after a majority of Scots rejected their attempt to destroy the Union in what the SNP billed as ‘a once in a generation opportunity’.
The SNP’s new draft referendum bill is completely reliant on securing approval from the UK Government to hold another vote.
but Downing Street last night strengthened its opposition to another damaging battle over Scotland’s place
in the UK, by saying there is ‘no mandate’ to hold another separation poll.
Last week, Miss Sturgeon said it would be ‘inconceivable’ that the UK Government could refuse another independence referendum.
However, a Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister and the Government does not believe that there is a mandate for one.
‘There was one only two years ago. There was an extremely high turnout and there was a resounding result in favour of Scotland remaining in the UK.’
When the 2014 vote was proposed, ‘both sides agreed to abide by that referendum’, the spokesman added.
But he failed entirely to rule out granting consent for another poll, by instead insisting that ‘there has not been a call’ for another referendum from the Scottish Government.
Opponents yesterday united to condemn the SNP for making the draft Bill its first major piece of legislation of the new parliamentary term – and accused Miss Sturgeon of ‘economic vandalism’ and displaying that separation is her ‘overriding concern’.
Brexit Secretary David Davis, who is due to visit Scotland today, told the Scottish Daily Mail that the case for independence is ‘weaker’ now than it was in 2014 – and insisted that ‘the UK is the vital union for Scotland’.
Ahead of the 2014 separation poll, David Cameron granted the Scottish parliament the power to hold a referendum through a ‘Section 30 order’, which transferred the power to manage it from Westminster to Holyrood.
The Scottish Government’s new referendum Bill, launched yesterday, said: ‘If the Scottish Government decided to formally introduce this Bill to parliament, it would be expected that a Section 30 order would be sought and agreed, as in 2014.’
The new draft referendum Bill, which will go out to public consultation until January 11, contains many of the same rules and regulations as in 2014.
It proposes the same question – ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’ – although it says it could propose a variation if there is demand for a change during the consultation phase.
It also confirms that EU nationals will be eligible to vote, unlike in the EU referen- dum, as well as 16 and 17-year-olds. The formal referendum campaign is ‘proposed to be 16 weeks’ – which is six weeks longer than the EU referendum campaign.
Anyone intending to spend more than £10,000 on the campaign will need to register as a ‘permitted participant’ – meaning their spending is scrutinised by the Electoral Commission – while spending limits for political parties and the official campaigns will remain unchanged from 2014.
Yesterday’s draft Bill does not provide an estimated cost of the referendum – but officials estimate it will be ‘similar’ to the £16million spent on the 2014 poll.
Miss Sturgeon said: ‘My priority is clear; we will do everything we can to protect Scotland’s interests. The damage to jobs and Scotland’s economy that will be caused by Brexit – especially a hard Brexit – is now plain to see.
‘We will continue to work UK-wide to seek to avert a hard Brexit and we will also bring forward proposals that seek to protect our place in the single market, even if the rest of the UK leaves.
‘However, if we find that our interests cannot be properly or fully protected within a UK context, then independence must be one of the options open to us – and the Scottish people must have the right to consider it.’
Yesterday, SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson signalled that a referendum could be called shortly after Mrs May begins Brexit negotiations early next year, because he claims the impact of leaving the UK will become ‘pretty clear pretty soon’ after Article 50 is triggered.
However, writing in today’s Scottish Daily Mail, Brexit Secretary Mr Davis says leaving the European Union will benefit the whole of the UK and insists that ‘those who seek to exploit the Brexit vote as a pretext for another referendum on Scottish independence are so profoundly wrong’.
Mr Davis said: ‘If the arguments for Scotland leaving the UK were judged weak by Scottish voters in 2014, they are weaker still today – and that has nothing to do with the decision to leave the EU.
‘The question of what currency an independent Scotland would use remains unanswered. The Scottish Government’s own figures on the state of the public finances have got worse, not better, since September 2014. Without the strength and certainty that being part of the UK provides, they demonstrate what we argued in 2014 – that Scotland would have faced either crippling cuts in public services or devastating tax hikes.
‘So let’s put the divisive debates and arguments of the last few years behind us. Instead, let’s focus together on the bright future ahead.’
Constitution Secretary Derek Mackay claimed it was ‘inconceivable’ that the UK Government would block a referendum.
He also outlined that a full referendum Bill, which could be launched any time after the consultation closes on January 11, would take ‘six to nine months’ to progress through parliament – and insisted that the timetable makes it ‘feasible and plausible’ that a referendum could be held within the two-year period of Brexit negotiations.
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon’s draft referendum Bill is irresponsible economic vandalism. Our economy is in trouble following David Cameron’s reckless Brexit gamble and the very last thing we need is more uncertainty for employers.
‘This publication confirms that the SNP’s top priority is to divide our country. My message to the First Minister is this: we are divided enough – do not divide us again.’
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: ‘During her programme for government, the First Minister made great play of how she had a number of priorities ahead of independence. The SNP even criticised other parties for making reference to the issue during the debate. Yet today we see that once again it is the SNP’s top priority.
‘This is the first major Bill Nicola Sturgeon has published after being re-elected as First Minister and shows that separation is her overriding concern.
‘Nicola Sturgeon stated quite clearly she would only hold another referendum if that’s what the people of Scotland want. But the voters were clear in 2014 that they didn’t want to break up Britain and poll after poll has shown that support for another divisive referendum is tumbling.
‘No matter what else the SNP claims to be passionate about, be it education, health or justice, today’s publication exposes its sole objective is separation – ahead of anything and everything else.’
‘The Brexit damage is now plain to see’ ‘Separation is her overriding concern’