Sturgeon pledges stability with freeze on income tax

But FM’S calls for Indyref2 in next Holyrood term branded ‘reckless’

NICOLA Sturgeon has announced plans to freeze income tax rates to provide post-pandemic stability as she was branded “reckless” for seeking another independence referendum in the next parliamentary term.

The First Minister said she did not propose holding another vote “while we are still grappling with the Covid crisis”.

But she argued it should take place when the crisis has passed, and insisted there will be no “democratic, electoral or moral justification” for Boris Johnson to block a referendum if there is a pro-independence majority in the Scottish Parliament.

It came as the SNP launched its manifesto ahead of the Holyrood election on May 6.

It said the party’s intention is for a referendum “to be within the first half of the five-year [parliamentary] term”.

The manifesto also said the SNP will “vigorously defend” any legal action by the UK Government to block referendum legislation in the Scottish Parliament.

Elsewhere, it outlined a £2.5 billion increase in NHS spending in the next five years if Ms Sturgeon’s party is re-elected, along with an £800 million boost in social care funding. NHS dentistry charges will be scrapped, and Government-supported childcare will be expanded to one and two-year-olds.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross accused the SNP of seeking to put “a referendum roadblock in front of Scotland’s recovery”. He said: “The rest of the SNP manifesto is irrelevant. It is a list of future broken promises. They won’t deliver because, just like the last 14 years, they’ll be distracted from the task at hand.

“Nicola Sturgeon will take her eye off the ball on everything else and focus on her top priority – a reckless referendum that she will demand the day after the election, if the SNP get a majority.”

Pamela Nash, chief executive of pro-uk campaign group Scotland in Union, said: “Holding a divisive second independence referendum in the next two-and-a-half years would be reckless and irresponsible.”

She said the Covid crisis “will take many years of recovery”.

NICOLA Sturgeon yesterday ruled out a referendum on Scotland rejoining the EU after independence.

The First Minister said it was not her policy to hold a standalone vote on reversing Brexit, despite demanding one on leaving the Union.

Her comments came as she launched the SNP manifesto, which said independence meant “escape from Brexit”.

If an independent Scotland did rejoin the EU it would have profound implications for currency, borders and trade with the UK, issues likely to dominate any potential separate referendum campaign.

But Ms Sturgeon said asking voters about rejoining was “not my policy”, and said a “detailed prospectus” for indyref2 would deal with the key issues.

Scotland voted 55-45 to stay in the UK in 2014 and 62-38 for staying in the EU in 2016.

However, the 52-48 Uk-wide vote for Brexit saw Scotland taken out the EU regardless.

In the run-up to

Brexit, the SNP called repeatedly for a second EU referendum, despite one-third of Yes voters also voting Leave.

In March 2019, Ms Sturgeon spoke at a rally for the pro-european People’s Vote campaign in London, calling for a new referendum.

In its manifesto for the December 2019 General Election, the SNP said: “We will work with others across Scotland and the UK to escape from Brexit. In a UK context, we will support a second EU referendum with Remain on the ballot paper. And if it is the only alternative to a ‘no deal’ Brexit, we will support the revocation of Article 50.”

However, its Holyrood election manifesto has no mention of a second EU referendum.

Asked if rejoining the EU after independence would be based on a fresh vote, Ms Sturgeon said: “That’s not my policy. The second EU referendum we talked about before was to try at the eleventh hour to stop Scotland being dragged out the EU and then out of the transition period against our will.

“Unfortunately, that didn’t prove to be possible.”

She said she didn’t expect public support for the EU to decline from its 2016 level, and if anything it was stronger.

She refused to say how many years it might take to rejoin, but suggested it would not be a long wait.