NICOLA Sturgeon has told MSPs that a delay to Brexit won’t kibosh her big announcement on indyref2.
Yesterday the First Minister told journalists she would update Holyrood on the timing of a new vote on Scottish independence in a matter of weeks.
The SNP leader confirmed that timescale in a response to Green chief Patrick Harvie during today’s First Minister’s Questions.
She also reassured him that the announcement would not be derailed by an extension to Article 50.
Harvie also asked Sturgeon if she had raised independence during her conversation with Theresa May earlier this week.
“I think the Prime Minister is very well aware of my views on independence. I support independence, and I think the sooner Scotland is independent the better for all of us.“ She added: “Obviously there's some water to go under the Brexit bridge over the next few weeks, but let me be very clear about this, I think the case for independence and support for independence grows with every day that passes.
"I think it is essential, given the catastrophe that Scotland faces to our economy, to society, our living standards, to our prospects for the next generation, to our reputation in the world, that that option of independence must be open to people in Scotland.
“And when people in Scotland have the ability to choose independence, I believe the country will opt to be an independent country.“ Earlier the session had been dominated by questions about the botched investigation into claims of sexual harassment by Alex Salmond, with both Tory leader Jackson Carlaw and Richard Leonard pushing the First Minister for more details.
Harvie, in his question, accused his fellow opposition leaders of ignoring the real issue.
"To listen to the opening questions from the Conservatives and Labour we'd be forgiven for thinking the country wasn't facing the biggest political crisis for generations," he said.
Carlaw had asked the First Minister if she now accepted it was wrong to have met with Salmond after learning of the sexual harassment complaints. He also compared Sturgeon's response to his questions, to her questioning of former Labour leader Wendy Alexander during a probe over donors in 2007.
”She can’t hide behind an inquiry and likely forthcoming police inquiry without answering the obvious questions who knew what, when and how,” – those aren’t my words, those are the words of Nicola Sturgeon in 2007 when as Deputy First Minister she was demanding answers of Wendy Alexander over donations to the Labour party.
“So by Nicola Sturgeon’s own definition then, we do have both the right and the responsibility to ask questions now.”
Sturgeon told Carlaw to respect the inquiries: “If Jackson Carlaw takes the view that respecting enquiries that have have been established constitutes hiding behind them then it begs the question why did he ask for an inquiry to be set up?”.
Leonard called on Sturgeon to prevent an SNP MSP from charing the Holyrood inquiry into the row.
Under the d’Hondt procedures used at the Scottish Parliament, the probe is due to be chaired by an SNP MSP.
The Labour leader asked Sturgeon to act to prevent this: “This is an unprecedented situation and Nicola Sturgeon must agree that this inquiry will be chaired by an opposition MSP.”
Sturgeon said she would abide by the whatever the committee decided, but that it would be inappropriate for her to dictate how that committee should be run.
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