SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER Nicola Sturgeon will publish her plan for an independence referendum this week, saying the country is being “dragged out of the EU against our will”.
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, Sturgeon said Scotland is “facing a Tory government that we didn’t vote for” and that there is a now a mandate for another independence referendum.
“It is clear that there is a growing, cross party recognition that election mandates should be honoured, that there has been a material change of circumstances and that the question of independence must be decided by the people and not by politicians,” Sturgeon said.
That’s why, later this week, in line with repeated election mandates – reinforced on Thursday – I will publish the detailed democratic case for a transfer of power from Westminster to this Parliament to allow for an independence referendum that is beyond legal challenge.
In last week’s Westminster elections, Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party (SNP) won 48 of the 59 seats in Scotland, with the Conservatives winning six and the Labour party just one.
“It was also an endorsement of our election message – that Scotland does not want a Boris Johnson government and we don’t want to leave the EU, and that, while opinions may differ on the substantive question of independence, we do want Scotland’s future to be in Scotland’s hands,” Sturgeon said today.
Boris Johnson’s Conservatives won a majority across all the seats in the UK with Sturgeon saying that Scotland therefore faces “a majority Tory government implementing a manifesto that Scotland rejected”.
“Furthermore, 74% of votes in Scotland were cast for parties that either supported remaining in the EU or were in favour of a second EU referendum,” Sturgeon added.
Scotland voted to stay as part of the UK in a 2014 independence referendum and Johnson has said that he is opposed to another vote on the matter.
The holding of a 2014 referendum needed the approval of both the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood and the UK Parliament in Westminster and Johnson insists that the matter has been dealt with for a generation.
But speaking this afternoon, Sturgeon said her party has been given a mandate to provide an alternative to the Conservatives.
“We are facing a Conservative government that Scotland did not vote for – indeed, overwhelmingly rejected – and which many fear will pose a real danger to our country and the fabric of our society.
This parliament has a duty to protect the values that people in Scotland voted for. I believe we can only fully do that with independence, and that is why later this week I will take the next steps to secure Scotland’s right to choose.
“We must tackle child poverty, protect our NHS and help it overcome the challenges of rising demand; and we must support an open, innovative and export-orientated economy.
“We must also ensure that Scotland remains an open, welcoming, inclusive country, where people treat each other with kindness, dignity and compassion.
“That is not a task for any one party – although as Scotland’s government, my party will take a lead.”
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