Nicola Sturgeon: Time for Scotland to become independent
Written by News on 28/04/2019
Nicola Sturgeon will declare it is “time for Scotland to become independent” when she speaks at the SNP conference in Edinburgh later.
The Scottish First Minister will address party activists just days after telling MSPs there should be a second independence referendum before the next Holyrood election in May 2021 – suggesting later that such a ballot could take place even if Brexit does not go ahead.
“It is time – time for Scotland to become independent,” the SNP leader will say.
“The last three years have shown, beyond any doubt, that for Scotland the Westminster system is broken.
“Scotland needs the choice of a better future. Scotland needs an independent future.”
And while she will say the “UK government says it will block Scotland’s right to choose”, she will insist there is a mandate for a referendum from “not just one but two Scottish elections” which has also been endorsed by the Scottish Parliament.
Ms Sturgeon will cite a recent poll, indicating support for independence has risen to 49%, as an argument for Theresa May’s Westminster government to drop its opposition to a second referendum on the matter.
On Thursday, David Lidington, the PM’s de facto deputy, dismissed the prospect of a fresh independence vote, saying: “We don’t see any evidence that there’s a demand from the people of Scotland for changing the decision they took in 2014.”
But after polling by YouGov showed support for Scotland leaving the UK had gone from 45% last summer to 49%, Ms Sturgeon will tell party activists the Tories are already being proved wrong.
The SNP leader will tell the conference: “On Thursday, they tried to justify their position by saying there was no upsurge in support for independence.
“Two days later the latest opinion poll was already proving them wrong.
“It shows support for independence already up. So our job now is to get it surging. And ensure that no Tory government can ever stand in the way of Scotland’s right to choose.”
Westminster leader Ian Blackford will tell the SNP conference that MPs will “not ever” support Mrs May’s Brexit withdrawal agreement.
He will urge Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to join them and “rule out any support for the Withdrawal Bill”, saying it would take Scotland and the rest of the UK into “total economic chaos”.
Mr Blackford will argue opposition parties at Westminster need to “come together and do what the people elected us to do – oppose this Tory government”.
(c) Sky News 2019: Nicola Sturgeon: Time for Scotland to become independent
