Green co-leader claims pro-union parties ‘lack courage of their convictions’

SCOTTISH Green co-leader Lorna Slater has accused the pro-union parties of running scared of a second independence referendum.

The Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Minister said she was “continually frustrated by the unionist parties lacking the courage of their convictions”.

The Scottish Tories hit back, accusing the Green politician and her colleagues of selling out “to shore up their friends in the SNP”.

The interview came after the Supreme Court dashed the Scottish

Government’s hopes of a referendum next October, when they ruled that the power to hold a vote was reserved to Westminster.

Nicola Sturgeon has she will now use the next General Election as a “de facto” referendum, though she said she still hopes the UK Government will agree to a Section 30 order to pave the way for a consensual plebiscite.

Ms Slater said Downing Street would refuse that “because they know they’re going to lose it”.

She added: “They don’t spend any time at all arguing for why the union is good, they know haven’t got a basis for that – especially with Brexit, especially with unpopular things like the unelected House of Lords, especially the economic disaster we’ve seen coming out of Westminster.

“They know they have no case to make for the union.”

The MSPS said the UK Government needed to set out the route for another independence referendum.

“If this is a democracy, they have to say what the route to a section 30 looks like,” she said.

On Monday, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack told MPS that there will be another vote when there is a “sustained majority” in favour of a vote.

He told the Commons Scottish Affairs committee: “It’s the duck test.

“If it looks like a duck and it sounds like a duck and it waddles like a duck then it’s probably a duck. People know when they’ve reached that point.

“They knew back then [in 2014] that they’d reached it. We don’t believe we’ve reached it now.”

Scottish Tory constitution spokesman Donald Cameron hit back at Ms Slater’s comments: “It takes some nerve for any Green politician to talk about opponents lacking the courage of their convictions when they sold out in order to shore up their friends in the SNP and push for an unwanted and divisive referendum.

“And it’s nonsense to argue that the Conservatives have no case to make for the union.

“From the vaccine roll-out to the help being offered though the cost of living crisis, the UK Government has delivered for the people of Scotland, every one of whom benefits to the tune of around £2,000 as a result of the union.”