Nicola Sturgeon and SNP warned there has never been enough support for second referendum


Jackson Carlaw told Express.co.uk that 2.1 million Scots voted to remain part of the United Kingdom in the 2014 referendum. The Scottish Tory outlined that Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP has not demonstrated that level of support for the party or independence in an election since the first referendum and that no second vote should be granted without more than 2.2 million people backing pro-independence parties.

Mr Carlaw said: “I think that you have to respect the sovereignty of a referendum result.

“Referendums are unique in that it is the only time you pose a binary choice to people in a poll.

“In 2014 2.1 million people voted to remain in the United Kingdom.

“In no subsequent election have the parties that support and argue for independence collectively achieved anything like that number of people voting for them again.

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“So it is clear to me that until the parties that support independence can demonstrate that more than 2.1 million people now want independence or want to elect a party that supports independence then they do not have the mandate for a second referendum.

“If people are so passionate about this then they would turn out to vote for it.

The Scottish Tory added: “But we know that we had the highest poll in history of any election anywhere in the whole of the United Kingdom in 2014 and we will not get that this time around.

“So the mandate has to be something that shows the sovereign wish of the people of Scotland expressed in 2014 has changed.

Mr Carlaw said: “Every election we have Ross Greer saying there is a green wave coming and then it is like a burst balloon when we actually get to polling day.

“It may well be that the SNP do have to rely on the Greens.

“I think that just says it all, a party that cannot win any first past the post seats and comes pretty well last in terms of its electing an MSP in nearly every region is then wagging the tale of the SNP dog.

“I think that is fundamentally dangerous because some of the policies they are advocating in this election are deeply damaging.”



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