Tory Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said his government will block any attempt by Scots to have a second referendum on Scottish independence.
Speaking to The Herald, Fallon said his government would not grant a Section 30 order that would transfer the power to hold a vote to Holyrood.
“No. Forget it,” Fallon said. “The respect agenda is two-way. She is constantly asking us to respect the SNP Government but she has to respect the decision of Scotland to stay inside the UK in 2014 and the decision of the UK to leave the EU. Respect works two ways.”
The Tory also claimed Scotland had now passed “peak SNP”.
“They lost the referendum, they lost seats. There are other voices in Scotland now, not least Ruth Davidson’s”.
He then seemed to roll back on his refusal to grant the section 30 order when being interviewed on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland.
A spokesman for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon accused Fallon and his Tory colleagues of boundless arrogance.
“They now think they can do what they want to Scotland and get away with it – not content with trying to drag us out of EU against our will with the support of just one MP out of 59 in Scotland, they are now suggesting they might try to block the nation's right to choose a different path.
“Any Tory bid to block a referendum would be a democratic outrage, but would only succeed in boosting support for both a referendum and for independence itself – something which the Prime Minister has previously indicated she understands all too well.
“Our mandate is unequivocal, with a manifesto commitment which makes explicitly clear that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to decide on an independence referendum if Scotland faces being taken out of the EU against our will. And no Tory Westminster government has a right to stand in the way of that.
“Michael Fallon’s comments betray how rattled the Tories are about Scotland – but his frantic backpedalling when pressed on the issue this morning shows that he understands what a disastrous strategy it would be for them to try and deny Scotland’s democratic right.”
A recent poll for Panelbase suggested support for a second referendum before early 2019 stands at 49.4 per cent.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel