25 Nov 2019
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard has admitted on national radio that he would grant the SNP a second referendum on independence.
Speaking on a BBC Radio Scotland phone-in, he said a Jeremy Corbyn-led government in Westminster would not stand in the way of another separation vote.
It confirms the party’s position that, should it get into Number 10 at this General Election, a referendum re-run could be held before the end of its first term.
He said today: “If the SNP or other parties put in their manifesto that they wanted to hold a second independence referendum and they got a mandate for that, either in 2021 or at some future point, then of course what we are saying is that would not be blocked by a UK Labour Westminster government.”
His concession follows the deletion of opposition to an independence referendum in Labour’s Scottish manifesto, and repeated statements from Jeremy Corbyn suggesting he’s open to a deal with the SNP.
Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said:
“This confirms Richard Leonard has fallen into line with Jeremy Corbyn in opening the door for a second independence referendum.
“Voters can now be left in no doubt that a vote for Labour is a vote for a return to the bitterness and division of a campaign to break up Britain.
“People in Scotland want to move on from referendums, but now both Labour and the SNP are fighting to keep that misery going.
“Only the Scottish Conservatives will get Scotland moving forward so we can focus on things that really matter like schools, hospitals and the economy.”
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