JACKSON Carlaw has said there should not be another independence vote until after 2050, and only if there is unanimous agreement at Holyrood.
The acting Scottish Conservative leader made the comment after the launch of his party’s general election manifesto - titled “No to Indyref2” - in Fife.
In his introduction to the 43-page document, the Eastwood MSP said December 12 was a chance to reject Indyref2 “once and for all”.
Asked if the Scottish Conservative position was now that the UK Government should never approve a second independence referendum, regardless of election results at Holyrood, he said: “In a generation, yes.”
He said: “A Scottish parliamentary election is an election where the competence to facilitate a second independence referendum does not exist. That power rests as reserved at Westminster.
“Nicola Sturgeon said the 2014 referendum was a ‘gold standard’. Well just remember that gold standard was underpinned by the support of every party in the Scottish Parliament who supported that request for a Section 30 [order to empower Holyrood to hold the vote].
“It was not a partisan, divisive call for a second referendum. Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats as well as the SNP and the Greens supported that call for a second referendum.
“If that’s the gold standard, then that’s the gold standard that should ever be met again before any Section 30 order is even requested.
“But until we have fulfilled that commitment we gave to all those who participated in that referendum, that it was a once in a generation referendum, then I think and believe that Scottish Conservatives will say no.”
Asked if a generation was 20 or 25 years, he said: “There are different definitions of a generation but I’ll tell you what it ain’t - it’s not five years.
Pressed to give his own definition, he said: “We had 40 years between the two European referendums. That seems like a fine definition.”
The UK's two European referendums were in 1975 and 2016.
Also at the manifesto launch, Boris Johnson said the First Minister should stick to her "once in a generation" timing on an independence referendum.
He said: “I think Nicola was onto a very good thing in 2014 when she pointed out to the people of Scotland that the referendum was a once in a generation event.
“I thought that was elegantly expressed and she should stick to that line, is my view.”
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