SNP has no mandate for second independence vote, Jess Phillips insists
Labour leadership hopeful Jess PhillipsPhoto: Dominic Lipinski/PA
Nicola Sturgeon has “no mandate” for a second independence referendum, Labour leadership hopeful Jess Phillips has insisted, as she said she would have turned down the Scottish First Minister’s request for a section 30 order if she was PM.
Ms Phillips used her first visit of the Labour leadership campaign to Scotland to make the case for staying part of the United Kingdom.
And while she insisted she was “not here to defend Boris Johnson” – who on Tuesday rejected Nicola Sturgeon’s call for Holyrood to have the power to hold a second vote on Scotland’s future in the UK, Ms Phillips said in the circumstances she would have done the same thing.
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Today I have written to Nicola Sturgeon. The Scottish people voted decisively to keep our United Kingdom together, a result which both the Scottish and UK Governments committed to respect.
Let's make 2020 a year of growth and opportunity for the whole of the UK
She told the PA Scotland news agency: “In the exact same circumstances I think I would have said no, because there is no mandate.”
After a general election campaign in which the SNP focused on Scotland having the right to have a second referendum, Ms Sturgeon’s party increased its representation at Westminster, winning 47 of the 59 seats up for grabs.
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General elections shouldn’t be about Brexit referendums and they shouldn’t be about independence referendums, they should be about people’s lives
Jess Phillips
But Ms Phillips insisted the 45% of the vote the SNP won then was not sufficient to give the party a mandate for another independence ballot.
She said: “Only 45% of people in the last general election voted for the SNP, that isn’t a majority.”
Speaking about Ms Sturgeon’s calls for a second independence referendum following the SNP’s victory in the general election in Scotland, Ms Phillips said: “The thing is about every single election that happens, the politicians involved will use people’s votes to say exactly what they want.
“That was a general election. General elections shouldn’t be about Brexit referendums and they shouldn’t be about independence referendums, they should be about people’s lives. It should have been about education, it should have been about people dying on the streets from drug addiction.
“We’ve got to stop dividing and using people’s votes to mean what we want them to.”
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It was a pleasure to speak to Amy and thank her for her contribution to our campaign crowdfunder. I am 100% committed to strengthening the union. My passion for change that improves people’s lives does not end at the border. The SNP do not have a monopoly over Scotland's voice.
While Scottish Labour has been split on whether there should be a second vote on the country’s place in the UK, with some senior figures north of the border speaking in favour of a ballot, Ms Phillips was clear that she did not want to see another referendum.
The Birmingham Yardley MP also said Labour had to take a clear stance on the big constitutional issues such as Brexit and independence before voters would listen to it again on topics such as education and the NHS.
She stated: “I reject completely that the only clear position is to have another divisive referendum, I think to take the clear position on the desire for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom… that is the clear message.”
She said: “Actually if there is a big constitutional question if you don’t clearly answer it, if you don’t clearly take a position, whether that is on Scotland leaving the United kingdom, or Britain leaving the European Union, if you don’t take a clear position you don’t then get to move the conversation on to the other things you might want to talk about.”
Making the case for Scotland staying part of the UK after speaking to party activists in a pub in the southside of Glasgow, Ms Phillips insisted: “I believe that Scotland is economically and with regard to security and all of the other things that matter deeply, I think it is better off in the United Kingdom and can’t stress how much I feel the United Kingdom is better off with Scotland.”
She said: “I’m not going to pretend I know the ins and outs of Scottish Labour or Scottish politics more generally, but I do know about UK politics and I do know the people in Scotland mean as much to me as the people in Birmingham, who I represent.”
Theresa May’s first speech as Britain’s prime minister
Theresa May, the new leader of Britain, made her first speech as prime minister outside 10 Downing Street on Wednesday.
Despite only lasting a few minutes, May's speech managed to cover a lot of ground. The new prime minister made a centrist appeal for unity in the face of the divisions that came to the foreground after Britain's vote to leave the European Union.
Some commenters have even compared it to the short speech Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first female prime minister, made in 1979 outside 10 Downing Street when she was first in office.
You can see video of the speech above and a transcription of the speech below, with annotations (in yellow) added.
I have just been to Buckingham Palace where Her Majesty the Queen has asked me to form a new government, and I accepted.
In David Cameron, I follow in the footsteps of a great, modern prime minister. Under David's leadership, the government stabilized the economy, reduced the budget deficit, and helped more people into work than ever before.
But David's true legacy is not about the economy, but about social justice. From the introduction of same-sex marriage, to taking people on low wages out of income tax altogether.
David Cameron has led a one nation government and it is in that spirit that I also plan to lead. Because not everybody knows this, but the full title of my party is the Conservative and Unionist Party. And that word Unionist is very important to me. It means we believe in the Union. That precious, precious bond betweenEngland, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
But it means something else that is just as important. It means that we believe in a Union not just of the nations of the United Kingdom, but between all of our citizens. Every one of us, whoever we are and wherever we are from.
That means fighting against the burning injustice that if you are born poor, you will die on average nine years earlier than others. If you're black, you're treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you are white. If you're awhite, working-class boy, you're less likely than anyone else in Britain to go to university. If you're at a state school, you're less likely to reach the top professions than if you were educated privately.
If you are a woman, you will earn less than a man. If you suffer from mental health problems, there's not enough help to hand. If you're young, you'll find it harder than ever before to own your own home.
But the mission to make Britain a country that works for everyone means more than just fighting these injustices.
If you're from an ordinary working-class family, life is much harder than many people in Westminster realize. You have the job, but you don't always have the job security. You have your own home, but you worry about paying the mortgage. You can just about manage, but you worry about the cost of living and getting your kids into a good school.
If you're one of those families. If you're just managing. I want to address you directly. I know you're working around the clock, I know you're doing your best, and I know that sometimes, life can be a struggle. The government I lead will be driven not by the interests of a privileged few, but by yours.
We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives. When we take the big calls, we'll think not of the powerful but you. When we pass new laws, we'll listen not to the mighty, but you. When it comes to taxes we'll prioritize not the wealthy, but you. When it comes to opportunity, we won't entrench the advantages of the fortunate few. We will do everything we can to help anybody, whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take you.
We are living through an important moment in our country's history. Following the referendum we face a time of great national change. And I know because we're Great Britain, we will rise to the challenge.
As we leave the European Union, we will forge a bold, new positive role for ourselves in the world. And we will make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few, but for every one of us.
That will be the mission of the government I lead, and together, we will build a better Britain.
