David Davis slams Sturgeon for back-tracking on Scottish independence referendum threat
NICOLA Sturgeon has been lambasted for seemingly back-peddling on her threat of a second Scottish independence referendum ahead of her government's programme for the next year.
David Davis has quashed Nicola Sturgeon's threat of another independence referendum
They would still lose today, because after the Brexit referendum, what do we see - do the Scottish people want a second referendum? No they don’t
The Scottish first minister was attacked by several high-profile politicians, with David Davis MP suggesting that she knew the SNP could not win another second independence referendum.
The Brexit secretary said: “They would still lose today, because after the Brexit referendum, what do we see - do the Scottish people want a second referendum? No they don’t.”
David Mundell insisted the SNP leader would have a key-role in negotiations
Sturgeon has previously hinted she would seek to re-run the 2014 election if Scotland did not remain a fully-fledged EU member.
It comes after a series of opinion polls since Brexit revealed there has not been a significant shift in an appetite for Scottish independence.
An opinion poll last week showed only 37 per cent of Scots want another vote on independence from the rest of Britain – with the majority claiming they would vote to stay part of the UK.
UKIP leader urges no vote on Scotland independence
The SNP leader has been accused of "shifting the goalposts" after she offered to form a "coalition" with Tory ministers – where she hinted said she would only want another independence referendum if access to the single market was not secured.
Sturgeon said: “Let’s have a try at getting the UK not into the best position – because the best position in my view would be continued membership of the EU – but let’s try and get the UK as a whole into the least worst position and that means staying in the single market.”
Lewis Macdonald, Scottish Labour's Europe spokesman, also took aim at Sturgeon's apparent change of heart.
There are no plans for a second re-run of the Independence vote
He said: "This is a definite shifting of the goalposts from the First Minister, who initially said that maintaining our full membership of the EU would be the only acceptable outcome, now it is only about access to the single market.
"The people of Scotland deserve to know why the First Minister is changing her tune. That is why the SNP Government should release all documentation relating to their discussions with the EU about Scotland’s continued membership, along with any legal advice they have commissioned."
Scottish Secretary David Mundell insisted the SNP leader would have a key-role in negotiations – but that she would not have any veto on Scotland and the rest of Britain's position in the EU.