NICOLA Sturgeon has suggested that there may be “room for discussions” with leadership hopeful Rishi Sunak after it emerged that he backed holding indyref2 after Brexit.
In comments from 2017 unearthed by The National, the then relatively unknown Richmond MP said it would be “hard” to block another referendum and suggested holding it after Brexit would give people a clearer choice.
Throughout his leadership campaign so far Sunak has talked up the strength of the Union, but come under fire from fellow Unionists for his lack of a voice on the issue in comparison to his competitors.
Despite concerns from the likes of Labour’s Jackie Baillie that Sunak’s silence is “deafening”, Scottish Tory MP Andrew Bowie has insisted that Sunak will protect the Union should he become the next prime minister.
At the launch of her next independence paper on Thursday, Sturgeon was asked if she would be up for negotiation on her indyref2 plans with the next PM.
“I notice in the media this morning comments of Rishi Sunak’s from some time ago saying Scotland should have the right to a referendum after Brexit,” she told journalists.
“Well it’s after Brexit, so maybe if he is to hold to what he said before there may be some room for discussions there. If he emerges as the winner – which based on events in the last 24 hours I don’t think is anyway certain.”
Sunak currently has the support of the largest number of MPs, but polls suggest Penny Mordaunt would beat him to the top job when the vote goes out to the membership.
Sturgeon is hoping to hold another independence referendum in October 2023, should the Supreme Court find that Holyrood legislating on it without UK Government consent is legal.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon launches second independence paper on 'renewal'
If the judges rule against the Scottish Government, the next General Election will be used as a de-facto referendum.
Further discussing the idea of compromise with the next PM, the SNP chief went on: “In principle yes in terms of the detail I will be open to a negotiation and in any negotiation you have to be prepared to compromise.
“What I will not compromise on is the principle of people in Scotland getting the opportunity to cast their votes and make their views known on independence.”
She added that if Johnson’s replacement is open to talking about granting a Section 30 order – which she believes remains the best option – she is open to compromising with them to come to an agreement.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon responds to Alba MPs' Westminster protest
“I’ve set out the path I want to take, that is the path I am going to pursue,” she said. “I’m not going to start to speculate on the views of a prime minister I don’t even know the identity of yet.
"That’s the path I have set out. If somebody wants to come to me and say look we’ll have a Section 30 order and here’s the negotiation we want to have, of course I will listen to that but I’ve set out the path.”
Asked for her views on the remaining leadership candidates, Sturgeon said: "They all look pretty bad to me.
"None of them seem to have anything to offer Scotland except democracy denial."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel