Blow for SNP as 60pc of Scots reject Indyref 2
NICOLA Sturgeon was yesterday urged to drop her ‘sinking dream of independence’ as a survey showed 60 per cent of Scots want her to ditch the threat of another divisive vote.
The First Minister has come under pressure to perform a U-turn following the General election, which saw the SNP lose 21 seats and its vote share plummet to below 40 per cent.
She had unveiled plans to hold another referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019 – and even requested a Section 30 order from the Prime Minister to allow that to happen.
However, Theresa May has insisted ‘now is not the time’.
At First Minister’s questions yesterday, Ruth Davidson attacked Miss Sturgeon over her silence on independence after last week’s vote.
The Scottish Tory leader accused her of ‘double standards’ after she refused to be drawn on another referendum, despite issuing the threat of one within hours of the UK wide vote to leave the eU.
Miss Davidson hit out at Miss Sturgeon for claiming she has ‘Scotland’s national interest at heart’ when she appeared to be ignoring the opinion of more than 60 per cent of Scots who voted for pro-Union parties.
Miss Sturgeon refused to be drawn – insisting she was ‘reflecting’ on the issue, while calling on Mrs May to rethink her Brexit proposals.
Miss Davidson then accused the SNP leader of hiding ‘behind her Brexit bogeyman’.
She said: ‘The First Minister talks about making decisions in the best interests of Scotland. Does she not realise that that is precisely what we did in 2014? The majority of people in Scotland believe that staying in the UK is in the best interests of Scotland.’
She added: ‘Let us cut to the chase. This has got nothing to do with listening to the people. It is all about how the First Minister can find a way to refloat or rebrand her sinking dream of independence.
‘The people of Scotland just want to put it behind us. She says she is listening to the folk of Scotland, and so she should. Her referendum is not wanted, so will she ditch it now?’
But the First Minister said: ‘What people deserve and will get from me over the next few days is some calm reflection.’
This comes as a Survation poll has shown 60 per cent of Scots think Miss Sturgeon should take her threat of another independence referendum off the table – with only 27 per cent saying that she should continue her efforts.
It also found 36 per cent of Scots – including one in ten SNP voters – believe she should quit as First Minister.
Despite her refusal to be drawn on independence, her new Westminster leader Ian Blackford seemed to backtrack on the SNP approach.
He said the Scottish Government had ‘always made clear that any possibility of a referendum would only take place if there were a change in circumstances. Any referendum, if it does take place, would take place after the Brexit deal has been negotiated.’
‘Her referendum is not wanted’