BORIS Johnson has said the people of Scotland don’t want to “spend more time on constitutional wrangling” as he criticised the SNP for unanswered questions about what independence would mean in reality.
The Prime Minister has been visiting Scotland to show support for the Union amid a surge in support for Scottish independence, which has risen to record levels.
The SNP has drawn up plans for second referendum if there is a pro-independence majority in Holyrood following May’s election.
The party will call on Mr Johnson to grant a Section 30 order for a re-run of the 2014 vote to take place. If he refuses, Holyrood will legislate for a referendum to take place, which will lead to a court battle over the legality of any poll without Westminster’s consent.
The Prime Minister was asked about the calls for a referendum on his trip north of the border.
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He said: “My strong feeling is that the whole country needs to work together. I want to work together with the devolved administration to get through the pandemic and bounce back strongly on the other side – that's the focus that people have.
“Talking about another referendum is really not a priority of people either in Scotland or any other part of the UK by comparison with this pandemic. Recovery is what we all want to see.”
Mr Johnson repeated his stance on why he doesn’t think another vote should be held.
He said: “There was an independence referendum in 2014 which was clearly advertised by leading members of the SNP, including possibly including the current First Minister as a once in a generation event. I think we should stick to that.”
The Prime Minister accused the SNP of focusing on “constitutional wrangling to displace our joint energies” on tackling the pandemic.
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He added: “People are endlessly going on about a referendum again even though we had one in 2014.
“What is it intending to deliver, this referendum? What happens to the pound? What happens to the foreign service? What happens to the army? What happens to the Queen? What happens to our security services. None of these questions fundamental to statehood have been asked or answered.
“To say you want a referendum is a bit like saying you don’t mind what you eat, provided you eat it with a spoon.
“I genuinely don’t think the people of this country want to spend more time on constitutional wrangling – they had a referendum only six years ago which is not by my understanding, a generation ago.”
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