Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed she will table legislation for a second independence referendum this week, just hours after the results of the European elections were confirmed.
And that’s despite saying, just days before the vote, that people opposed to independence could lend the nationalists their vote safe in the knowledge it wouldn’t be used to argue for the break-up of Britain.
Her “deceit” has been attacked by the Scottish Conservatives, who pointed out the SNP were punished by voters just time they tried to use the Brexit process to further the independence cause.
During a visit to Ireland, the First Minister told journalists that the legislation would be laid this week, and that she wants a referendum re-run in this parliamentary term.
Last week, in a pitch to voters who want Scotland to stay in the UK, she said: “The people who don’t support independence will have the opportunity to register that opinion when we come to make that choice again. This is about Scotland’s right to be heard, it’s about sending a message at this European election about Scotland’s aspirations to remain in the EU. The strongest way of sending that message is to vote SNP, whether you are for or against independence.”
And earlier today, the SNP’s leader in Westminster also said the European results cemented the case for a second independence vote.
Scottish Conservative chief whip Maurice Golden said:
“The SNP went into this election pretending to voters that it was nothing to do with independence.
“Yet within hours of it being announced, Nicola Sturgeon is specifically using it to argue for separation.
“That’s fraudulent behaviour from an SNP government that’s meant to be running the country, not trying to break it up.
“Voters punished Nicola Sturgeon last time she abused the Brexit process for her own selfish aims.
“They will do so again if this hypocritical deceit continues.”
