Douglas Ross warned that his party would reject a “pretentious referendum” before Nicholas Sturgeon presented his plans for Indyref2 to Holyrood.
The Scottish Tory leader said he would not “play Nicolas Sturgeon’s games on the issue” and said the constitutional issue had already been “answered in 2014”.
The prime minister is due to make a statement in Holyrood tomorrow explaining his “roadmap” for a new independence referendum in light of Boris Johnson’s refusal to co-operate.
Ms Sturgeon said she would like to see a repeat of the 2014 Gold Standard process, when the referendum was negotiated by Edinburgh and London and the vote was taken out of Westminster’s legal challenge, giving Holyrood the necessary powers under a section order. 30.
Mr Johnson rejected a request for a Section 30 order in early 2020, leaving Ms Sturgeon to acknowledge that it may have to continue without such a legally enforceable option.
If the Lord Advocate allows the Indyref2 bill to pass parliament, it will be challenged in the UK Supreme Court and potentially ruled ultra vires.
Asked on Sunday’s BBC Scotland show about Tuesday’s statement, Mr Ross said: “I will not play Nicolas Sturgeon’s games on this issue.
“I will not take part in its pretense referendum when there is real work to be done, real work to deal with the cost of living crisis in Scotland, real work to support our NHS, real work to improve our educational standards, real work to return our judicial system on the side of the victims, not the perpetrators, making sure that local authorities have the necessary support to provide basic services.
“These are all priorities I hear from voters across the country, not another independence referendum, because Nicola Sturgeon just wants to divide us again.
Recalling that the pro-independence SNP and the Greens won a combined majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament in last year’s election, Mr Ross was asked if the mention of a pre-referendum was “quite offensive” to at least half of the electorate.
He said: “I think even Nicholas Sturgeon said that the 2014 referendum is the gold standard, this is the agreement of the UK government with an order from section 30.
“We now know that Nicola Sturgeon has not even asked for another order under section 30, but she continues with her plans to hold a new referendum when the time is not right.
“This is not a priority for the people of Scotland when there are so many other pressing issues that the government and politicians from all parties need to focus on.
Pressed about how the Scots could achieve independence democratically if they were denied a referendum, Mr Ross said the constitutional question “was answered in 2014”.
Asked for a positive argument for the Union, he cited responses to the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
Speaking to his party’s National Council in Stirling today, Alba leader and former SNP prime minister Alex Salmond said: “Never in history has it been better to press the will of Scotland against Westminster, as the wind would blow over Boris Johnson.
“Route 30 is not the gold standard, it was a compromise and the UK government agreed to it because the Scottish government made David Cameron and George Osborne think that other options such as a plebiscite would be accepted if they did not agree to a referendum on independence in 2014
“However, the Scottish Government now needs a campaign of popular agitation when Boris Johnson says no. It must also include parliamentary agitation. You could stop Westminster with the more than 40 MPs the SNP has.
“There is no better time to seek international and diplomatic support than when Boris Johnson is prime minister. In 2014, the UK government sought the intervention of a foreign government in the independence referendum, today the UK has few friends in Europe or around the world.
“Scotland has an inalienable right to self-determination. I have no doubt that the people are ready if the right leadership is there and Alba’s role in Scottish politics will be to ensure that the Scottish Government fulfills its promise to fulfill the test of independence next October and that we play our part by arguing why Scotland it can and must be an independent state.
The SNP likened Mr. Ross’s attitude toward democracy to that of Donald Trump
MSP’s Ron McKay said: “In his desperation to defend the defenseless, Douglas Ross is becoming more and more like Donald Trump.
“Denying the reality of the SNP’s election victory in 2021 – which was even bigger than in 2011 – makes it sound just like the former US president and his supporters.
“A striking accusation of the destruction of standards in public life by the Tories is that they are ready to deny Scotland even basic UN human rights. This is a shameless betrayal of democracy. ”
Scotland’s leading sociologist, Professor Sir John Currits of the University of Strathclyde’s political department, told Scottish Sun on Sunday that unionists should be clearer about why Scotland should stay in the UK instead of deviating from the “essential “Debate.
He said: “If you are a trade unionist, what you need to do is convince the people of Scotland that the union is a good idea and not to repeat the process over and over again.
“The point is, you’re not going to convince anyone on a substantive issue unless you get involved in a debate on a substance that the Conservatives aren’t doing, and I’m not sure Labor, either.”
“At some point you will have to say why actually being in the UK is a good idea.
Ms. Sturgeon, who intends to keep Indyref2 in October 2023, said this weekend that Scottish independence is essential to resolving the cost of living crisis.
She said: “The cost of living crisis did not happen overnight.
“Years of cuts in benefits, a freeze on payments and a failure to deal with rising energy bills were deliberate political choices imposed on Scotland by the Westminster governments, which we did not vote for and had a devastating effect on living standards.
“These decisions help explain why independent countries comparable to Scotland outperform the United Kingdom in a number of ways, richer, more equal and less poor, and therefore better able to withstand the pressure of the cost of living.
The prime minister acknowledged earlier this month that Scottish independence “is not a guarantee of success”, but will allow the country to make its own choice.
Pamela Nash, Scotland’s chief executive in the Union, called on Mrs Sturgeon to use her existing powers to “fight poverty”.
A spokesman for the UK government said: “Now is not the time to talk about a new referendum. People in Scotland rightly want and expect to see both their governments work together with a relentless focus on issues that matter to them, their families and communities.
“This means tackling the cost of living, protecting our long-term energy security, leading the international response against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and developing our economy so that everyone has access to opportunities, skills and jobs for the future.
“We use all the tools at our disposal to reduce inflation and fight rising prices – we can build a stronger economy through independent monetary policy, responsible fiscal policy that does not contribute to inflationary pressures, and by increasing our long-term productivity and growth. ”
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