A LEADING ITV News journalist has backed holding indyref2, saying he doesn’t believe it would be “credible” to deny a new vote if Scotland achieves a pro-independence majority.

Tom Bradby, former political editor for ITV News and now presenter of ITV News at Ten, rumbled Unionist feathers on social media as he made the statement last night.

Scotland is set to return a pro-independence majority to Holyrood today, but the Westminster media is focused on whether the SNP will achieve a majority – whether the party can remains to be seen.

The SNP made key gains yesterday, winning in Ruth Davidson’s former seat of Edinburgh Central, Labour stronghold East Lothian and long-term Tory seat Ayr. They held all their other seats.

However the gains in South Scotland are likely to lead to a reduction in the number of list seats Nicola Sturgeon’s party can secure today, so other gains are required for an SNP majority.

Regardless, the pro-independence Scottish Greens sound confident as we go into the regional list portion of the results.

On Twitter yesterday evening, Bradby wrote: “If the SNP can assemble a pro-independence majority here tonight or tomorrow, I just can't see how it would be credible to deny them another referendum. It would make an absolute mockery of the principle of democratic devolution.”

His comments angered Unionist commentators, with one asking if we would just “keep holding referendums until the SNP get what they want”.

He replied concisely: “Well, if people keep voting for parties that have that as a central policy then I guess, yeah. That’s how democracy works.”

Labour peer George Foulkes told the journalist: “No it wouldn’t! You don’t understand devolution.”

And Michael Crick, political correspondent at Mail Plus, was also unhappy with Bradby’s comments. “I’m very sorry Tom, that may be your personal view, but it is not right that you as a senior presenter of ITV programmes regulated by Ofcom, should express it in public.

“It goes against everything ITN used to stand for.”

READ MORE: LIVE: All the news from the Scottish Parliament election as seats are declared

Another peer, the Tory Lord Moylan, told Bradby: “It’s perfectly credible. The deal was a referendum once a generation. Government, investment, jobs are all thrown into doubt if a referendum can be triggered by a poll every four or five years. @BorisJohnson just needs to stand firm and say no.”

Despite the fury among Unionist respondents, Bradby won praise from independence supporters for expressing his view.

Meanwhile this morning Environment Secretary George Eustice said granting a second independence referendum in Scotland would be “irresponsible”.

His comments come after Boris Johnson told the Daily Telegraph another referendum would be “irresponsible and reckless” in the “current context” as Britain emerges from the coronavirus crisis.