Sheppard calls for delay to Indyref2 due to Brexit
ONE of the SNP’S most prominent MPS has signalled a delay in the independence agenda, saying it is “very difficult” to move it forward because of Brexit.
Tommy Sheppard said it was unclear what independence would be “an alternative to” because of uncertainty over the state of the United Kingdom.
The Edinburgh East MP also said that if there was a People’s Vote on Brexit, it would take precedence over the independence question.
The comments are at odds with those of several past and present Nationalist figures who say the chaos over Brexit is a reason to call a second referendum soon, not halt one.
Mr Sheppard said: “One of the problems for those of us who advocate independence or a different constitutional future for Scotland is that we don’t quite know what it’s an alternative to at the minute.
“Until it’s clear what the UK is, and the direction it’s going to go in, and, crucially, whether it’s part of the European mainstream or not, then it is very difficult to actually move forward on the question of independence.”
Given the SNP belief that independence is always a better alternative to staying in the UK, Mr Sheppard was challenged at a press conference in Edinburgh.
He clarified his position, saying a new prospectus on independence would need to wait until the SNP knew “what the United Kingdom is and where it’s going so that we can describe the other options”.
Mr Sheppard’s comments are the latest in a series from senior SNP figures downplaying the prospect of a second independence referendum in the short-term. Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has promised a statement on the timing of a new vote within weeks, but it appears increasingly unlikely that she will commit herself to a firm date.
In an American TV interview last week, the First Minister said it was too soon for voters to come to an “informed decision” and “calm consideration” was required instead.
One of her closest advisers, SNP Growth Commission chair Andrew Wilson, then called for a gradual build-up to “the softest possible” form of independence in order to woo voters.