NICOLA Sturgeon has promised voters across the UK that the SNP will use their influence in a hung parliament to promote progressive policies – but she insisted Labour would need to support indyref2 sooner rather than later.
The First Minister made the comments on a BBC Question Time General Election special last night, where she, Jeremy Corbyn, Boris Johnson and Jo Swinson were being grilled by a live studio audience. If social media was anything to go by, Sturgeon was the clear winner of the debate, with Twitter especially awash with praise for her performance.
Swinson struggled, meanwhile, with one audience member claiming her party’s name was now a “misnomer” because of their plan to revoke Article 50 and reverse the Brexit vote.
The LibDem leader was branded a flop after facing a series of tough questions about the policy from both Remain and Leave supporters. She was also repeatedly challenged on her record in government and support for austerity policies, with one audience member asking her if she regretted voting with the Tories on “harsh and uncaring benefit cuts”.
READ MORE: WATCH: Moment when QT host makes Swinson face up to her voting record on live TV
Earlier on the same show Corbyn seemed to signalled that a Labour government would be willing to grant Holyrood the powers to hold indyref2 in the next two years.
He said: “In the early years of a Labour government we will not be supporting an independence referendum, instead we will be investing in Scotland.”
Pressed on what the term “early years” meant, Corbyn said: “The early years, first two years, at least.”
Sturgeon doubted that. “Do you think he’s going to walk away from the chance to end austerity, to protect the NHS, stop Universal Credit, simply because he wants for a couple of years to prevent Scotland having the right to self-determination?” she asked.
“I’m not sure he’s going to compromise the chance to have a Labour government for that issue.”
Sturgeon also flatly ruled out entering a coalition government with Labour, saying it would be a much less formal arrangement.
Asked how much influence she thought the SNP would have, the First Minister told the audience it would not be right for her MPs to “dictate health policy or education policy in England, except where that affects Scotland.”
Earlier, Corbyn also surprised the audience when he signalled, for the first time, that he would not campaign against Brexit in any future EU vote, saying he would adopt, as Prime Minister “a neutral stance”.
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