FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that she would “love to see General Election” and that Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal is “dead and over”.
Speaking to STV News following an event held at Glasgow University, she pulled no punches in her assessment.
“This is the most incompetent Government in my lifetime and I lived through the Thatcher governments,” she said.
READ MORE: Brexit: So where does Westminster go from here?
“But we can’t guarantee that a General Election is going to happen. The important thing now is we find a way forward. Put the issue back to the people. The Government’s had three years almost to come up with a plan and it has failed.
“So it would seem to me the right thing, and actually the most democratic thing, is to put the issue back to the people and let them decide,” Sturgeon added.
The event, organised by Peace & Unity Scotland, set out to challenge racism and Islamophobia.
The First Minister praised the multi-faith event, which was reportedly also designed to offer reassurances to the public following the Christchurch massacre which left 50 people dead in New Zealand.
“These kinds of open meetings are really important,” she said.
READ MORE: SNP hint at move towards backing customs union Brexit option
“They’re a healthy opportunity to bring these issues to the fore and talk not just about the problems, but also about some of the solutions.”
She added: “We all share a concern, not just in Scotland or the UK, but across the world we see a rise in far-right ideology.
“At home and elsewhere we have to be very vigilant about a rise in racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and be ready to call that out and to tackle that.”
And party colleague Keith Brown also welcomed the possibility of a General Election, saying the SNP are ready to go in the event of a snap vote.
The SNP depute leader’s comments are bolstered by data which shows the party polling ahead of their rivals, with the Conservative vote flatlining between June 2017 and February this year and Labour’s plummeting during the same period.
“A General Election would give the people of Scotland the chance to reject the damaging Brexit policies of the Tories and Labour, and elect SNP MPs that will stand up for Scotland’s wishes and interests,” Brown said.
READ MORE: SNP must fight compromise – it's the soft Brexiteers who should change position
“While the shambolic Tory government collapses into crisis, and Labour are in total disarray, the SNP are prepared and ready to go for a snap election,” he
added.
“We have thousands of activists right across the country, and the polls show strong support for the SNP, while the Westminster parties trail behind.”
And the SNP’s command was demonstrated by last week’s Clackmannanshire by-election result which saw Jane McTaggart win and Labour losing 8% of their vote despite rolling out Gordon Brown during campaigning.
Results like these suggest that Labour’s calls for an election may be nothing but bluster, while the Tories would not have significant cause to be optimistic if Theresa May decides to trigger a vote.
The figures, calculated from four separate voting sample averages from polls conducted between June 2017 and March this year, show the SNP consistently ahead of Labour, the Conservatives, the LibDems, the Greens, Ukip and other parties.
The latest sample puts the SNP at 43.5%, with Labour on 18.3% and the Tories on 24.6% of the vote – an 18.8% lead.
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