A FORMER SNP health secretary has said the chances of a second independence referendum this year are “zilch” because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Alex Neil said Nicola Sturgeon, who recently insisted Indyref2 was still possible in late 2020, should confirm that was no longer the case.
Mr Neil’s comments follow SNP Inverclyde council group leader Chris McEleny saying this week that the chances of Indyref2 on the First Minister’s timetable were “simply none”.
He said it was not “wise or possible” to have a national campaign during a pandemic.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said on Sunday that Indyref2 was still possible this year, but Mr Neil told the Daily Record it could not happen during a “lockdown”.
He said: “There’s no way you could run a campaign with the near lockdown we’ve already got, never mind probably a further tightening at some point, of the lockdown.
“Nobody knows how long it is going to last.
“It could be another year before we get a vaccine. Coronavirus has changed everything.”
The Airdrie & Shotts MSP added: “The chances are zilch.”
On Nicola Sturgeon formally ruling out Indyref2 this year, Mr Neil said it would soon be technically impossible, even if Boris Johnson had a change of heart and gave Holyrood the referendum powers he has so far withheld by using a Section 30 order.
He said: “If the legislation isn’t introduced by the end of April, irrespective of coronavirus, it would be impossible to get the necessary legislation through both parliaments, even if you got a Section 30 order, by the end of the year.
“At some point, she should just confirm that that is the case.”
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