SCOTLAND’S sole Labour MP has claimed Nicola Sturgeon has “absolutely no mandate” to hold a second referendum, despite a specific pledge in the SNP’s Holyrood manifesto.
Ian Murray, who held Edinburgh Southern in 2015 while Labour lost 40 other Scottish seats, said his party would oppose all moves to hold another vote in the wake of Brexit.
Setting out Scottish Labour’s plans for a more federal UK, he said: "I want to make it absolutely clear to both Nicola Sturgeon, and indeed to Ruth Davidson, the SNP has absolutely no mandate for another Scottish independence referendum. If they try to push one through, Scottish Labour will oppose it in the Scottish Parliament all the way."
The SNP manifesto said: “We believe that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold another referendum… if there is a significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will.”
Mr Murray also accused the Tories of being "the SNP enablers", by focusing on the Union.
He said: “It is they who are really responsible for this current mess - Nicola Sturgeon's mibbes aye, mibbes naw referendum. Thanks to them, the constitution has barely been off the agenda since the early hours of September 19."
The Tories also claim the SNP has no mandate for another referendum.
Later, MSP Daniel Johnson claimed the SNP had “no authority" to speak on the EU, and compared Nicola Sturgeon to former Ukip leader Nigel Farage.
He said: "Both want to take control, they just disagree with their respective nationalisms. The SNP has no authority to speak on the EU because they speak with two voices.
"On the union between Scotland and the other nations of the UK, well, that union is bad. But on the union between the UK and the other nations of Europe, that union is apparently strong.
SNP MSP Linda Fabiani called Mr Murray’s remarks false and “bizarre”.
She said: “Labour should apologise to voters for trying to mislead people over the clear democratic mandate the SNP Government has for an independence referendum, should that be deemed necessary to protect our vital national interests.”
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