WILLIE Rennie has been accused of “running scared of democracy” after he urged voters not to back his party if they support independence.
The SNP blasted the Scottish LibDem leader on a day in which he also claimed Scottish independence would bring “all the chaos of Brexit multiplied”.
Rennie made his initial comments in an interview on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland. Asked if he believed the Scottish people have a “democratic right” to a referendum on independence, Rennie said: “If they vote for us they won’t get that”.
He added: “If people want independence, they shouldn’t vote for us”.
Later, addressing LibDem members at the party’s conference in Bournemouth, Rennie said: “We can keep Scotland in the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom in Europe. We don’t need or want independence.
“Some think independence would allow us to escape Brexit. But it will simply add to our woes. All the chaos of Brexit multiplied, and multiplied again.”
The LibDems faced criticism on Monday after leader Jo Swinson backed a pledge to cancel Brexit without a vote if she becomes PM – while continuing to oppose inyref2.
Responding to Rennie’s comments on Good Morning Scotland, SNP MP Chris Law added to accusations that the party was anti-democratic.
He said: “Willie Rennie is running scared of democracy – support for independence is on the rise which is what lies behind the totally undemocratic and shamelessly hypocritical stance of the LibDems.
“This car crash interview was an absolute disaster for the LibDems, with the party now boasting that they would try to block any democratic attempt for the people of Scotland to have a say on their own future.
“The LibDems are more than happy to act as Boris Johnson’s lapdog, encouraging voters in Scotland to steer clear of their party if they believe in the basic tenets of democracy.”
Law added: “They’ve now alienated a huge proportion of their own support and warned others off from voting LibDem in the future.
“The only people who should be allowed to determine Scotland’s future are the people of Scotland themselves – as long as the LibDems fail to understand that, they will continue to remain irrelevant.”
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