Nicola Sturgeon says Scots have the ‘right’ to demand second independence vote

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Nicola Sturgeon today pushed ahead with her plan to split the UK as she insisted Scots have the ‘right’ to choose their own future in a second independence referendum.

The First Minister called Scotland a ‘nation on the brink of making history’ as she said she hopes a ballot could be held in the early part of the next term of the Scottish Parliament. 

Though Boris Johnson has vetoed calls for a fresh vote on the issue, the SNP will use the campaign to step up their demands for another referendum – six years after a majority voted to stay in the Union.  

Her comments on unity came after SNP MP Joanna Cherry used an interview with the Times newspaper to hit out at the ‘cult of leader’ in the party, insisting it is damaging to ‘put all your faith on one person’.

Recent opinion polls have suggested that a majority of Scots now support the country becoming independent.  

The pro-Union cause took a hit last week after Mr Johnson told MPs over Zoom that devolution was a ‘disaster’ and Tony Blair’s biggest mistake. 

Addressing the SNP annual conference today, Ms Sturgeon, told party activists that ‘the people of Scotland have the right to choose their future’.

The First Minister thundered: ‘Scotland is now a nation on the brink of making history. Independence is in clear sight – and if we show unity of purpose, humility and hard work, I have never been so certain that we will deliver it.’ 

SNP leader Ms Sturgeon said that, in order to win independence, the party must ‘reach out to all of Scotland like never before’.

Speaking at the start of the online event, she said: ‘Let us demonstrate, with cool heads and patient persuasion, that Scotland is ready to take its place in the global family of independent nations.’

Support for independence has risen to become the ‘sustained and majority view in public opinion this year,’ Ms Sturgeon said.

And she stressed that, while the ‘primary focus’ must currently be on tackling the coronavirus pandemic, ‘Scotland must also be ready for what comes next’.

She told the conference that Covid-19 had ‘taken thousands of lives’ and ‘upended our society’, with businesses and the economy ‘severely’ damaged.

But she claimed that with independence Scotland could have a ‘resilient economy, with job creation and fairness at its heart’ and would be able to ‘protect and invest in public services like our NHS’.

Ms Sturgeon continued: ‘We can overcome poverty, inequality, and we lead the way in tackling the climate emergency.

‘The question for all of us as we look ahead to the election next May is this – who should be taking the decisions that shape our futures?

‘We know that it is the people who live here, wherever they come from, who can best harness Scotland’s immense human and natural resources to the benefit of everyone.’

Hitting out at Ms Sturgeon, Ms Cherry said a ‘more collegiate leadership’ style is needed, as she also criticised the ‘no debate mentality’ as being ‘really unhealthy’.

The MP said: ‘It’s an unfortunate tendency in modern political discourse, which I’ve labelled #nodebate.

‘It typifies a small minority in my party and has bled through from the debate about reform of the Gender Recognition Act, to include alternative plans for an independence referendum. I think it’s very unhealthy and I don’t think it represents the majority view in the party.’  

Mr Johnson has been desperately engaged in damage limitation after he branded devolution a ‘disaster’ in a private Zoom meeting with MPs.

He had attacked Mr Blair for handing powers to Holyrood – comments which Ms Sturgeon said showed that the PM wanted to claw back control to Westminster.

Tories raged about Mr Johnson’s ‘loose language’, with Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross suggesting they could split from the party in England. 

In a speech during the Scottish Tory virtual conference, the PM said ‘frankly’ now is not the time for ‘division or distraction about our national constitution’. 

He also blasted what he called the SNP’s ‘abysmal record’ over 13 years of government, pointing to Scotland’s ‘plummeting education standards, low business confidence and the lowest satisfaction in public services ever’.

Ms Sturgeon was previously accused of ‘shamelessly’ exploiting the coronavirus crisis to ‘flog’ Scottish independence after she wrote an article for a German paper. 

In a piece for Germany’s Die Welt, the First Minister branded the UK’s tough line in Brexit trade talks ‘reckless’ and said she wanted Scotland to join the bloc if her campaign to split the union succeeds.

But critics lambasted the way Sturgeon was trying to ‘stir up division’ at a time of crisis, even though she previously promised to put her separatist ambitions on hold. 

In the piece, which coincided with an EU Council summit, Sturgeon wrote that Brexit is a ‘direct threat to jobs, investment and living standards’ in Scotland and said the lack of a trade deal will ‘cripple’ the food and drink industry.

She said: ‘The fact the UK Government seems determined to push ahead with exiting the transition period with no deal in place would be a foolish move in normal times.

‘In the middle of a global pandemic it is utterly reckless. 

‘That recklessness is exemplified by the UK Government’s proposed Internal Market Bill, which they admit would break international law and would renege on the Brexit treaty which Boris Johnson’s government agreed only last year. 

‘The Bill also seeks to take powers away from the Scottish parliament, and the legislatures in Northern Ireland and Wales.’

She said the UK Government approach is ‘entirely counter to the Scottish Government’s vision for our country’.

She added: ‘Scotland has also contributed much to Europe through our people, our world-class universities, and now in particular the fight against climate change. 

‘The Scottish Government believes the best future for our country is as an independent nation within the EU.

‘Some people may question my stated desire for solidarity with the desire for independence. However, in reality, the two go hand in hand. It is precisely because we have a UK Government that is determined to turn its back on cooperation, consensus and solidarity that Scotland needs an alternative way forward. 

‘Unlike the EU, which is a partnership of equals where decisions require consent and often unanimity from members, the UK does not work like that and the wishes of Scotland can be ignored and overridden by Westminster.’

Labour MP Ian Murray, the Shadow Scottish Secretary, said: ‘This tells you everything about Nicola Sturgeon’s priorities. 

‘Scots will be shocked to see that while she tells the people of Scotland she is focused on the pandemic, she is writing about Scexit in an international newspaper and trying to stir up division.

‘How dare she talk about solidarity when she wants to tear apart the bonds of solidarity that exist within the UK?’ 

Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman Dean Lockhart said: ‘In the middle of a global pandemic, Scottish people will be downright furious that Nicola Sturgeon thinks it’s a good use of her time to shamelessly flog Scottish independence in Germany. This is a distraction when lives and livelihoods are on the line.

‘We all, including the First Minister, need to be focused 100 per cent on managing this crisis. The last thing that Scotland needs right now is the division and uncertainty of another independence referendum.’

Pamela Nash, chief executive of the Scotland in Union campaign group, said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon’s arguments are wrongheaded. 

‘She has no right to talk about ‘solidarity’ when her entire philosophy is about division. Instead of trying to break up the UK, the Scottish Government should be working within the UK to help lead us through this crisis.’