Nicola Sturgeon has heaped further criticism on the British prime minister, as she argued independence provided an alternative to being left “at the mercy” of his “disreputable, discredited UK Government”.
The Scottish First Minister confirmed “preparatory work is underway” to enable a second referendum to be held – a commitment both the SNP and their Scottish Green Party partners in government made in their manifestos for last year’s Holyrood elections.
Ms Sturgeon restated her desire for an independence vote to take place before the end of 2023 “Covid permitting” – despite Boris Johnson having made clear his opposition to such a ballot.
The SNP leader insisted: “The alternative to independence is to continue to be governed by parties at Westminster that we don’t vote for and right now that is by a disreputable, discredited government and a Prime Minister, frankly, with no integrity, no shame and no moral compass.”
With Scottish Tory leader, Douglas Ross, having called for Mr Johnson to quit, and having submitted a letter of no confidence in his UK party leader, Ms Sturgeon said Mr Johnson was a “prime minister that even Douglas Ross doesn’t think is fit for office”.
With the prime minister under continued pressure over lockdown parties in Downing Street, she added: “Scotland can do better than that and, with independence, we will do better.”
Her comments came at First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, as SNP backbencher Stuart McMillan asked for an update on referendum plans.
Ms Sturgeon confirmed her intention to seek to hold another ballot, saying: “The people of Scotland elected this Government last May, their democratic decision was to elect a Parliament with the biggest ever majority of MSPs in favour of an independence referendum.
“So, in line with the clear mandate given by people in that election, preparatory work is underway so a referendum can be held, as I’ve said as the Covid crisis passes, and Covid permitting, within the first half of this parliamentary term.
FM: "Any political party that was confident in their arguments around independence would not be desperate to deny the people of Scotland the right to make that choice." #FMQs
— The SNP (@theSNP) February 3, 2022
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“Then the people of Scotland will have the choice to take our future into our own hands, instead of being at the mercy of a disreputable, discredited UK Government.”
Mr McMillan agreed it was “time to deliver on what the people voted for, have a referendum, win that referendum and deliver our independence from a wretched and seemingly corrupt Westminster”.
In response to that, Ms Sturgeon said that “virtually every promise” made by the pro-UK campaign in the run-up to the 2014 vote had “since been broken”.
She added: “The crowning one of all of those, of course, was the fact that according to them the only way to protect Scotland’s membership of the European Union was to vote No to independence.
“And here we are, ripped out of the EU.”
The first minister continued: “There’s a key point here because independence is about aspiration, it is about empowerment, it is about taking our destiny into our own hands, so we can build a better future.
“I think it is because they fear the power of that positive argument that Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrats want to deny Scotland the choice.”
She insisted: “Any political party in this chamber that was confident in their arguments around independence would not be desperate to deny the people of Scotland the right to make that choice.”
