TOP Tory Douglas Ross has called SNP plans to stage a second independence referendum in 2021 "irresponsible and delusional".
The Scottish Conservative leader hit out after Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster leader, told the Sunday National that indyref2 "will take place and we need to plan that that referendum must take place in 2021".
In the exclusive interview, Blackford said: "I’ve actually never been as optimistic as I am today.
"I don’t believe that the Unionist side have arguments against us that can stack up in front of the people of Scotland. But we need to demonstrate that there’s a breadth and a depth and a diversity to the independence movement.
“And we must remain focussed on working together to secure the prize."
READ MORE: Indyref2 will be held next year, says Ian Blackford
During the interview, Blackford said the Scottish Government had "put off holding a referendum in 2020" because "Covid has come along and the Scottish Government, in particular, has had to take its responsibilities of stewarding the country through this crisis".
Bur Ross has now accused the SNP of failing to focus on guiding Scotland through the pandemic.
He said: "It beggars belief that an SNP politician should genuinely suggest that as lives and livelihoods continue to be lost, Scotland needs yet more division, chaos and uncertainty.
"Ian Blackford's commitment to a referendum a few months from now is not just irresponsible but delusional and shows how out of touch the SNP are.
"The Scottish Conservatives are focusing on fighting the pandemic and rebuilding the economy. That is what people want and expect."
READ MORE: Gordon Brown says now is not the time for indyref2
He went on: "Blackford is a senior ally of Nicola Sturgeon and joins a growing list of SNP figures who prioritise breaking up the UK over the issues that matter to people right now.
"The fact he feels the need to apologise for not staging a referendum this year as thousands of lives in Scotland have been lost and families continue to mourn is deeply disrespectful but also telling about the SNP's obsession with independence over everything else."
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