Second poll may not go ahead before 2021 election
THERESA MAY will not enter into negotiations over a second independence vote until the Brexit “process” is complete on the other side of the next Holyrood elections in 2021, Scottish Secretary David Mundell has signalled.
Talks about a second constitutional vote could be delayed by the need for both transitional measures and a “significant” period of implementation after Brexit, he said.
The UK’s Brexit talks with Brussels are due to finish by March 2019.
But the Chancellor Philip Hammond has already warned that Britain may require an extra two-year-long “transitional” deal.
Business groups are also pressing ministers for a more gradual Brexit to prevent the country falling off an economic “cliff-edge” after the UK leaves the EU.
The UK Government’s own Brexit White Paper insists that ministers will seek a “phased process” to deliver a “smooth, orderly exit” from the EU.
Changes to immigration law and customs may have to be introduced late, the document states.
Last night, Mr Mundell told the BBC the UK Government would be “declining” Ms Sturgeon’s request for a Section 30 order – the legislation needed for Scotland to hold a referendum.
He added: “We won’t be entering into any negotiations at all until the Brexit process is complete.
“Now is the time for the Scottish Government to come together with the UK Government... to get the best possible deal for the UK – and, that will mean, for Scotland – until we leave the EU.
“We are not entering into negotiations on whether there should be another referendum during the Brexit process.
“We don’t have a crystal ball as to how long that process will take.”
He added: “It may be a journey that will involve transitional measures, it may be a journey that will involve significant implementation time.”
He said that it was “not appropriate” to have a referendum before voters knew “what the future relationship between the UK and the EU is.
“And they won’t know that until the Brexit process is complete.”
A UK Government source said: “It would not be fair to ask people the day after Brexit – as we have always said.”
In the run-up to independence vote in 2014, both the London and Edinburgh governments agreed that any referendum had to be “fair, legal and decisive”.
Downing Street’s White Paper insists any new immigration policy for EU nationals may require a “phased process of implementation”, designed to give businesses and individuals time to prepare.
Other areas where changes may have to take place over time include customs and the way the UK and the EU cooperate on criminal and civil justice matters. The White Paper warns that the “time we need to phase in the new arrangements may differ; some might be introduced very quickly, some might take longer”.
However, it adds that this transitional period would have an end date and would not be “unlimited”.
Overall, to deliver a “smooth, orderly exit” from the EU “we will seek a phased process of implementation, in which both the UK and the EU institutions and the remaining EU Member States prepare for the new arrangements that will exist between us”.
A UK Government spokesman said the Prime Minister had been clear that now was not the time for an independence referendum “and we will not be entering into negotiations on the Scottish Government’s proposal”.
He added the UK Government’s focus was on negotiations with the European Union and ensuring ministers secure the best deal for the whole of the UK.
The UK Government is also preparing to respond to the Scottish Government’s proposals for a “separate” Brexit deal for Scotland, that would, among other things, mean it could stay in the single market.
Tory ministers are expected to highlight the many areas of agreement between the two governments and that more decisions will be taken at Holyrood after Brexit.
‘‘ Now is the time for the Scottish Government to come together with the UK Government... to get the best deal