Sturgeon Challenges Labour And Lib Dems To Back Second #IndyRef
Nicola Sturgeon has challenged the Labour and Liberal Democrat leadership to back a second vote on independence if support for leaving the UK grows significantly or there is a ``material change'' in UK politics.
Nicola Sturgeon has challenged the Labour and Liberal Democrat leadership to back a second vote on independence if support for leaving the UK grows significantly or there is a material change'' in UK politics.
The SNP leader made the call after both Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale and her Liberal Democrat counterpart Willie Rennie declared members of their parties could campaign in favour of independence if another referendum is held.
Ms Sturgeon branded that a curious tactic'' by her opponents.
The First Minister told journalists: If they are to be taken seriously and if what they have said is to be credible, and if what they have said is to be coherent, then they have to take it to its logical conclusion. It's not going to cut much ice with supporters of independence in their parties to say in one breath to them 'if there's another referendum you can stand up for what you believe in' and in the next breath to say 'we think a referendum should be ruled out forever and a day'.
My challenge to Kez and Willie is this, and I say it quite clearly, if opinion doesn't significantly shift from the referendum last year or if there's no material change in circumstances from the ones that prevailed last year, it wouldn't be right to propose a second referendum.
But the challenge is, do they agree with me on the converse - if we do see opinion shift or if we do see a material change in circumstances surely they must agree it would be equally wrong for any one politician to rule out a referendum indefinitely.''
She spoke out after Ms Dugdale said there was no denying that 30% of Labour voters voted Yes in the referendum'' and that she wanted to lead a partythat is comfortable with people who voted Yes and No backing our values of creating a fair and more equal society for everyone''.
Ms Sturgeon commented: On one level that's a curious tactic for them to deploy. The whole game plan of the opposition parties in Scotland has been to say the referendum settled the issue and continued talk about independence is nothing more than an SNP obsession.
To feel the need to address supporters of independence in your own party for Labour and the Liberals seems to give lie to that suggestion.''
She added: The debate about independence in Scotland goes much further than the SNP and clearly, as Kez and Willie are conceding, goes into the hearts of Labour and the Liberals as well.
I welcome what they said, it does show that they know, as well as we know, what way the wind is blowing in the medium to longer term. Ms Sturgeon has already confirmed her party will set out the timescale for a possible second referendum on independence, and the circumstances in which such a vote could be held, in its manifesto for next year's Holyrood election, The First Minister has previously said a material change in circumstances, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against its will in the forthcoming in-out referendum on UK membership, could act as a trigger for a second referendum on independence.
A Scottish Labour spokesman said: Nicola Sturgeon could have talked about anything when she appeared before Scotland's journalists - for example the fact that under the SNP Government more than 6,000 children in Scotland leave primary school unable to read properly. Instead she spoke about another referendum, which tells you all you need to know about the SNP's priorities. Scotland is fed up with repeats.''
Meanwhile a Scottish Liberal Democrat spokeswoman said: Another day, another attempt to distract people from the SNP's record on GPs, the police and school standards. The First Minister needs to do much more than spend every day just rearranging words to try to get a second referendum.''