Jeremy Corbyn claims there's "no appetite" for another independence referendum in Scotland
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn insisted there is "no appetite'' in Scotland for a second vote on independence, as he urged the SNP government in Edinburgh "listen to the people and respect democracy''.
Last updated 26th Feb 2017
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn insisted there is "no appetite'' in Scotland for a second vote on independence, as he urged the SNP government in Edinburgh "listen to the people and respect democracy''.
He attacked the SNP for using the Brexit vote, in which Scotland voted to remain in the European Union while the UK as a whole voted to leave, as "leverage'' for a second chance to hold a referendum.
He went on to claim they were using calls for another independence ballot to "divert attention away from their appalling record on colleges, social care, the NHS and transport''.
Mr Corbyn branded the SNP in power an "abject failure'' as he argued leaving the UK would not provide the solution to the problems of poverty or inequality.
His attack came amid continuing speculation that Nicola Sturgeon will seek to stage another independence referendum in the wake of last year's Brexit vote.
In September 2014, Scots voted by 55% to 45% in favour of remaining part of the UK and Mr Corbyn said: "Regular polling since Brexit has shown a drop in support for independence''.
He told the Scottish Labour conference in Perth: "There is no appetite for yet another referendum.
"To the SNP I say this: listen to the people and respect democracy. The Scottish people are telling you to get on with your job and start fixing the mess you have made.''
He claimed that nationalists "pretend independence will magically transform people's lives'' but said the "collapse of oil prices showed how much of a folly that was and what a danger to Scotland's prosperity independence would have been''
Mr Corbyn stood by comments he made earlier this year, that independence would bring "turbo-charged austerity'' to Scotland.
"The fall in the oil price and the volatility of the market has exposed the folly of building an economy dominated by oil production,'' he told activists.
The GERS figures, which are the SNP Scottish Government's own figures, said there would have been a near- £15 billion deficit between what Scotland spends and raises in revenue."
Independence "wouldn't be in the interests of working people'', he insisted and warned that if Scotland left the UK, it could hinder efforts to tackle problems across across the UK
"If Scotland pulls away from the UK, we will weaken our ability to challenge the system that creates the inequality and poverty in Islington, in Govanhill and countless places across Britain,'' the Labour leader said.
He argued that the links between Scotland and the rest of the UK were "far deeper and stronger than those between the UK and the EU''.
He said: "Scotland leaving the UK would only amplify the harm of a brutal Tory Brexit.
"Scots would find themselves with the same problems they have now. Problems that are common to Glasgow and London, Plymouth and Perth.''
He insisted it is class, not national identity that "still has the greatest impact on most people's lives''.
Mr Corbyn said: "If you look at Nicola Sturgeon's constituency in Glasgow and mine in London, you'll see many of the same problems.
"Unemployment and poor housing, poverty pay and exploitative private landlords. People with blighted prospects and lack of opportunities.
"What's required for the people of Blackburn, Newport, West Lothian or Lancashire is a challenge to the power that is wielded, without genuine democratic accountability, by big business and city finance. Independence doesn't offer that.''