Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions in the absence of Boris Johnson, deputy PM Dominic Raab has reiterated the UK government’s insistence that “now is not the time” for another Scottish independence referendum.
Instead, Raab suggested that Scots wanted to see Westminster and Holyrood “work together” and address “the challenges we face as one United Kingdom”.
Raab was responding to a question tabled by the Scottish National Party’s [SNP] leader in Westminster, Ian Blackford, who asked whether the UK government will continue to make the case for a “failing” system of Westminster rule in Scotland.
On Tuesday, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon [pictured] put forward her plans for a new referendum on Scottish independence and set a target date of October 19, 2023.
Blackford told the House of Commons that the first minister of Scotland had “set the date and started a campaign” for independence and that the SNP will make “the positive case” for a breakaway in “the weeks and months ahead.”
The SNP leader in Westminster also hit out at the UK government for failing to address major issues such as the cost-of-living crisis and for seeking to break international law by overriding parts of its Brexit deal with the EU relating to trade in Northern Ireland.
Raab hit back by accusing Blackford of “airbrushing history” and pointing out Scotland’s own huge tax burden and the poor performance of Scottish schools compared to those in England and Wales under the SNP’s governance of the country.
While Raab reiterated that the UK government would continue to resist calls for indyref2, north of the border Sturgeon has said that the independence push will not be deterred.
She has already asked Scotland’s Lord Advocate to take the case to the Supreme Court to determine where Holyrood stands on holding a legal referendum without consent from Westminster.
Should the Court rule against the Scottish government, she has vowed that the SNP will fight the next general election solely on independence and treat it as a “de facto referendum”.
Sturgeon said: “Scotland can't become independent without a majority of people voting for it. I hope we can resolve these things in a referendum, that is the proper way of doing it. But if all routes to that are blocked then the general election will become the vehicle for people to express their view.
“The issue of practical reality is that when a majority vote for independence, I hope in a referendum, that will have to be followed by a negotiation with a UK government to implement that decision."
