Sturgeon ‘is stuck in past’ as she repeats Indyref 2 call
NICOLA Sturgeon was yesterday accused of being ‘stuck in the past’ after claiming she has ‘every right’ to demand a second independence referendum before the next Holyrood election.
The First Minister insisted that continuing uncertainty over Brexit has ‘materially strengthened’ the case for Scotland leaving the UK.
But critics said she was only interested in rerunning the 2014 referendum, when 55 per cent of Scots voted to stay in the UK.
Miss Sturgeon again stated that she would demand another referendum on EU membership if MPs reject Theresa May’s withdrawal deal in next week’s House of Commons vote.
And she said she would set out her views on the timing of a second independence vote ‘at the end of this stage of the Brexit process’.
But campaign group Scotland and Union claimed that Brexit
‘She couldn’t be more wrong’
has actually weakened the arguments for independence.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘Of course there is a mandate to have an independence referendum within this term of the Holyrood parliament.
‘There is every right on the Scottish Government to fulfil that mandate, but I’m not going to go any further around timing just now because I have said that I will wait until this phase of the process concludes.’
The SNP leader then went on to claim the political upheavel that has followed the Brexit vote had ‘strengthened and reinforced the case for Scotland to be independent’.
She added: ‘The case for independence is materially strengthened from an already strong base in 2014 because of all of the experience of Scotland in the last two years.’
Jackson Carlaw, interim leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said: ‘Today Scots are heading back to work at the beginning of a new year, but Nicola Sturgeon is stuck in the past.
‘As at the start of 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015, her priority is to rerun the referendum of 2014.
‘People across the country will correctly be thinking, “There she goes again”. Scots have had enough of Sturgeon’s stuck record on independence and just want the SNP to improve public services.’
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said there was no appetite among the people of Scotland for another independence referendum.
He added: ‘One of the experiences of Brexit has been just how difficult and painful it can be to break away from a union, even one that has been place for just 40 years.
‘A union that has been in place for 300 years would, in my view, cause considerable economic disruption and there is no appetite from the people of Scotland for it.
‘So I think the First Minister should take the earliest opportunity to rule out a second independence referendum.’
Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon couldn’t be more wrong. Brexit has weakened the case for independence, not strengthened it.
‘The process has proved how incredibly difficult it is to leave a union between nations. Nicola Sturgeon is trying to weaponise Brexit in a desperate bid to boost support for independence.
‘But the majority of people in Scotland know that we are better off together, with a shared culture and history we can build our future on.
‘The First Minister should take the threat of a second referendum off the table and get on with the day job of fixing our schools, hospitals and railways.’