WILLIE RENNIE has vowed his LibDem MSPs will oppose any bid to hold a second independence vote over the next Holyrood term, a term which Ed Davey said could "well determine if our country has a future".

With the issue of whether Scots should have another vote on the future of the UK set to be central in May's election, Scottish LibDem leader Rennie made clear his opposition to this.

However, he refused to say if a majority win for pro-independence parties would give them a mandate for a second referendum.

Rennie also said the current Prime Minister Boris Johnson does "not help" those who campaign to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom.

He said: "Nicola Sturgeon, obviously it is her stated intent to break up the United Kingdom, but I have to say Boris Johnson does not help us.

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"It would be better if he was to be more responsive and more respectful, if he was actually to be a little more competent."

However, Rennie insisted that Johnson would be a "transitory" figure in politics and "the United Kingdom lasts much longer, and the strengths of the United Kingdom are far more".

Rennie spoke out on the issue as the UK Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said it was "imperative" to get more LibDems elected to Holyrood.

With the Scottish elections looming, he told his party conference that "once again, the forces of nationalism threaten to tear our family of nations apart".

Davey stated: "Elections often determine the future of our country but these Scottish elections could well determine if our country has a future."

Speaking to journalists during the conference, Rennie insisted: "We are not in favour of another independence referendum, we will be arguing every step of the way to make sure that doesn't happen and we will not vote for it in the next Parliament.

"No matter how many MSPs we've got, all of them will be committed to voting against it."

The Scottish LibDems currently have 5 MSPs at Holyrood. Polling at the beginning of this month from Survation forecast this would rise to 8 next year, though the LibDems would remain the smallest of the five main parties. 

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Rennie went on: "It is the danger for next year's election. If people want to make sure we don't plunge ourselves into more years-long debate about these issues, the easiest way to do it is not support parties who are in favour of another independence referendum.

"That is the best way of doing it and it can avoid all these debates and discussions about whether there is a right to have another referendum."

While the most recent seven opinion polls have shown a majority of Scots in favour of leaving the UK, Rennie insisted most people "don't think independence is a priority".

He added: "There are also groups of people who just want the Government to focus on recovery from the pandemic."

After the independence and Brexit referendums, and with countries across the world now dealing with Covid-19, Rennie suggested that "people want more co-operation and partnership".

He said that was what his party was offering, as he said he was confident his party could grow at next year's elections.