NICOLA Sturgeon’s indyref2 update will be a “detailed and substantive statement setting out a path forward for Scotland amid the ongoing Brexit confusion at Westminster”.
The First Minister’s official spokesman told journalists that the SNP leader would aim to “strike an inclusive tone” when she addresses MSPs in Holyrood tomorrow afternoon.
READ MORE: Why the case for independence needs to inspire Scots to vote Yes
Sturgeon has been promising to share her thinking over the timing of a new independence vote for around two years, but the UK government's chaotic Brexit process has forced the First Minister to delay.
Last October, Sturgeon asked her party to be patient and wait for the current "phase of negotiations to conclude and for the fog of Brexit to clear".
Earlier this year, in an interview with the US broadcaster PBS, she stressed the need for “clarity” on Brexit.
With little clear on what's happening with Brexit, and Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement, it's not entirely clear what the First Minister will say when she stands up in Holyrood at around 1.30pm tomorrow.
Sturgeon’s spokesman said: “The First Minister will give a detailed and substantive statement setting out a path forward for Scotland amid the ongoing Brexit confusion at Westminster.
“The First Minister will take time to set out her thoughts on that front and in doing so she will seek to strike an inclusive tone.
“There will be plenty of detail. It’s a 30-minute statement.
READ MORE: The National View: This is why we're backing the First Minister's currency plan
He continued: “The FM will explore some of the issues which have arisen because of the ongoing Brexit situation and Scotland’s constitutional future.”
After a Cabinet briefing this morning, ministers were said to be "happy" with details of Sturgeon's plans.
But asked what the Prime Minister's response would be to calls for a Section 30 order to pave the way for a second independence referendum, Theresa May's official spokesman said: "You know the Prime Minister's position on that and it has not changed.
"First and foremost, let's wait and see what the First Minister says."
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said there was "no evidence" that voters wanted another independence referendum.
“The mess of Brexit throws into sharp relief the challenges of leaving a political and economic union. The answer to challenges of the UK leaving the EU is not and never will be Scotland leaving the UK," he said.
“Leaving the UK would lead to unprecedented austerity for Scotland’s public services. Each currency option the First Minister has tried simply makes that worse."
Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Willie Rennie agreed: "People are exhausted by the division and economic damage that Brexit has thrust upon us. Breaking up the 40 year union we have with the EU has been excruciating. Breaking up a 300 year old union with the rest of the UK would be much much worse.
“The SNP’s relentless independence focus makes it look like they have their fingers in their ears. The First Minister should take independence off the table, show the country she’s learnt lessons from the chaos of the last two and a half years and put businesses’ minds at ease.”
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