Veteran hits out at ‘advisory’ indy poll
A VETERAN SNP politician has hit out at calls to hold an “advisory” referendum on Scottish independence without the UK Government’s approval.
Pete Wishart, chair of Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Select Committee, said this could “significantly” set back the independence cause.
Party figures including Joanna Cherry, the SNP’S home affairs spokeswoman at Westminster, have suggested such a move could provide a way forward.
But Mr Wishart – the SNP’S longest-serving MP – said pushing ahead with an advisory referendum would be “anything but consequence free”.
Writing on his website, he said: “It is something that could set us back significantly and could also unleash a range of forces that could quickly escalate out of control.”
He said the UK Government would “boycott the whole process and refuse to engage and acknowledge any result”.
Mr Wishart urged independence supporters to “keep our patience and constraint and not set out along a route that could be playing into our opponents’ hands and could set us back years”.
It came as John Bercow, the former Commons Speaker, said support for Scottish independence will “exponentially rise” if Boris Johnson continues to “bunker down” and dismiss requests for a second referendum out of hand.