Patrick Harvie says Green votes should count toward independence in 'de facto referendum'

He has warned that using the next UK general election may be the “only ability we have then to put the question to the public” if the Supreme Court rejects the idea of Holyrood holding a referendum.

It comes as a new poll has showed 44% of Scots are opposed to another referendum, with 43% in favour.

The research by Panelbase for the Sunday Times also indicated that 48% would vote for independence, with 47% against, while 5% were undecided.

Ms Sturgeon hailed the results of that poll as “very encouraging”.

Mr Harvie told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show that the Greens “would be accepting the premise that a majority of votes for pro-independence parties and candidates needs to be respected as a mandate”.

Former first minister Alex Salmond, has called for the SNP, Greens and his Alba party to work together in a general election if the vote is being used as a Yes campaign as a “plebiscite poll on independence”.

Mr Harvie has appealed for the unionist parties to explain what mandate for a referendum would be accepted.

He said: "One of the big questions for the other side of this debate is - if repeated pro-independence majorities in both parliaments isn't enough for a mandate, what on earth is?

"If they do continue to refuse to accept that, we'll go to court to seek permission to take that referendum forward without it.

"If the answer is no, we are going to have to use the following UK election, if that is the only ability we have then, to put the question to the public."

Mr Harvie said it would be the decision of local Scottish Green party branches on whether candidates would stand in every constituency.

He was asked if his party’s candidates would match the SNP and put independence as the single issue at the ballot box.

Mr Harvie said: "Greens offer a distinct vision of what kind of independence would want.

"Greens, the SNP and other campaigners who support independence don't necessarily agree on the policies for after independence, so we want that rich diversity of ideas to come forward.

"We would be setting out a Green vision for an independent Scotland and we would be accepting the premise that a majority of votes for pro-independence parties and candidates needs to be respected as a mandate."

Mr Harvie insisted “a referendum is clearly a preferred route”.

He added: "I think the other side should respect we have been pushing this for a very long time.

"If this is where get to, and an election is the only route to establishing that mandate, in those circumstances, we will have to say that a majority of votes for pro-independence parties has to be respected."

Mr Salmond has labelled the de facto referendum a “hail Mary option”, but claimed “there is little chance of the UK Supreme Court protecting Scottish sovereignty”.

The Alba leader said that “if all else fails”, then it is “perfectly legitimate to use a democratic election to progress the independence case instead of a referendum which is being blocked and obstructed”.

Mr Salmond has compared the single issue election to the 2019 pledge by the Conservatives t “get Brexit done”. He has pointed to 16 and 17-year-olds and European citizens not being able to vote in a UK general election as they were able to in the 2014 referendum.

Mr Salmond said: “A ‘plebiscite election’ would not succeed if it is just party political business as usual on the Yes side.

“Obviously the vast majority of such candidates would be sitting SNP and A MPs but it would be wise to bring the Green Party on board as well as key independence campaigners out-with party politics aiming to unseat the remaining unionist MPs."

The Alba leader has warned that independence-supporting MPs elected during any ‘de facto referendum’ “would require not just to stand on the independence ticket but to pledge to take the political action required to bring it into being”.

Scottish Conservative net zero spokespoerson, Liam Kerr, said: “The Scottish Greens have long been derided as merely an environmental offshoot of the SNP – but now we can drop the ‘environmental’ bit from that definition.  

“Patrick Harvie let the mask slip by admitting the pursuit of independence trumps all else for his party – just as it does for the SNP."

He added: “The fact that in a climate emergency the Scottish Greens are prepared to fight the next election solely on the constitution, is breath-taking. And that’s if they contest it at all – Patrick Harvie hinted that they may not field candidates in order to help the SNP.

“This stance is an insult to all voters concerned about climate change and the environment, and clearly demonstrates that concern for the environment – the only thing which people thought made the Greens different from the SNP – always comes second to grievance and division for nationalists.”

Sarah Boyack, Scottish Labour’s constitution spokesperson, however, insisted that Mr Harvie’s comments showed that “the Scottish Green Party is more than happy to drop their environmental priorities to focus solely on independence”.

She stated: “Faced with a climate crisis, the Scottish Green Party is deciding to put flags before the future of our planet.

“This is a betrayal of the thousands of environmentalists who oppose the break-up of the UK.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said it was “astonishing to hear the leader of a Green party say they would go into a general election fixated on primarily on one issue”.

Mr Cole-Hamilton told BBC Scotland: “If they are not going to campaign on the climate emergency, Scottish Liberal Democrats will.”

The Lib Dem MSP described the Greens’ plans to focus on independence in the next Westminster election as a “dog’s breakfast of a strategy “, saying this it is “not going to give any clarity”.