'IT'S IRRESPONSIBLE' Davidson blasts Sturgeon will DIVIDE SCOTLAND with IndyRef2 obsession
THE SCOTTISH Tory leader has scolded Nicola Sturgeon after she claimed an independence referendum next year was “common sense”.
Davidson ATTACKS Sturgeon's idea of indyref2
Ruth Davidson called out the First Minister over her BBC interview in which she refused to rule out calling a public vote in Autumn 2018 and insisted she was not “bluffing”.
But the Conservative MSP branded her comments “nonsense” during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday.
She said: “We had the First Minister gunning for a referendum on independence next year. She called it ‘common sense’.
Ruth Davidson bashed Nicola Sturgeon after she said a referendum could take place next year
Tracey Ullman MOCKS Nicola Sturgeon in comedy sketch
Most Scots think it’s irresponsible to talk of a second referendum which is only going to damage the Scottish economy yet further
“I call it nonsense because most people in Scotland do not want it. Most Scots don’t want to go back to the days of division and uncertainty of another independence referendum.
“Most Scots think it’s irresponsible to talk of a second referendum which is only going to damage the Scottish economy yet further. That is common sense.”
The outburst comes after Mrs Sturgeon told documentary 'Brexit: Britain’s Biggest Deal' she would not rule out a referendum.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney defended Mrs Sturgeon's comments
She said: “Within that window, er I guess of when the, the sort of outline of a UK deal, becomes clear on the UK exiting the EU, I think would be the common sense time for, Scotland to have that choice, if that is the road we choose to go down.”
Pressed by presenter Laura Kuenssberg if she "not was ruling out autumn 2018”, Ms Sturgeon replied: “I’m not ruling anything out.”
Speaking in the absence of Mrs Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister John Swinney defended the comments and said support for a referendum was gaining pace.
“Today we’ve seen an opinion poll published just before question time, which shows support for the constitutional question on independence at 50-50 in Scotland,” he said.
“So what that says to me – and we shouldn’t be at all surprised by those numbers because that’s the people of Scotland being exposed to the hard right politics of the Tory party, seeing the mess they’re getting us into about Europe and deciding that it’s time for this country to choose its own future.”