Tuesday, 21 January 2020

Nicola Sturgeon's independence dreams CRUSHED as Gordon Brown warns 'no case' for 2nd vote

NICOLA STURGEON’s plans to hold a second Scottish independence referendum next year have not only been scuppered by Boris Johnson, but rubbished by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown as well, who told Sky News there was “no case” for having one then.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown savagely dismantled Nicola Sturgeon’s arguments for holding a second Scottish independence referendum next year. The SNP leader has been calling for this following her party’s general election victory. Mr Brown told Sky News the First Minister’s criteria for holding a second independence referendum had not been met and all her arguments had “fallen”.

He said: “There’s no case for having a referendum at that time.
“There’s no case because the two arguments she put forward for a referendum have not been met.
“One was that we had completed and knew what the relationship with Europe was going to be.
“We don’t know, we know we’re leaving but we don’t know what the future relationship is.”
The former Labour leader continued: “Now by the time her timetable is out of date, we will still not have had an agreement on what the future relationship with Europe is, so that argument has fallen.
“She then said that she would have a referendum if she would have a consistent majority of support in Scotland for independence.
“There is no such majority in Scotland at the moment that’s either been consistent or decisive or overwhelming.
“In fact there is no consensus on it and it’s a divided Scotland on these issues.”
Mr Brown added: “So the point I think I would make is her two criterion have not been met.
“But anyway, she said, as Boris Johnson reminded us, that this was a once in a generation event.
“Clearly five years after the last referendum is not a generation having passed.”
nicola sturgeon snp gordon brown scotland news
SCOTLAND SURVEY (Image: EXPRESS)
Ms Sturgeon was already dealt a blow when Boris Johnson formally rejected a call for a second independence referendum.
The Prime Minister said a referendum would "continue the political stagnation Scotland has seen for the past decade".
He cited the First Minister’s previous pledge that the 2014 referendum would be a "once in a generation" vote.
Ms Sturgeon tweeted that the Tories were attempting to "deny democracy".
In her election victory speech, the SNP leader said a rejection from Mr Johnson would “drive a coach and horses through the very idea that is supposed to underpin the UK”.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1231053/nicola-sturgeon-snp-gordon-brown-labour-scotland-indyref2-scottish-independence