SNP MP Stewart McDonald has said he thinks it would be wrong to “settle” for a de facto referendum if it is indeed the "worst possible option" to secure independence.
Nicola Sturgeon has previously outlined her commitment to a de facto referendum which would see the next Westminster election act as a vote on Scotland’s place in the Union.
The idea has sparked debate within the party as well as among commentators and the public.
On Wednesday, Pete Wishart, writing exclusively for The National, said that a de facto referendum was the “only way” to settle Scotland’s constitutional future.
Twitter doesn’t do nuance so I’ll preface by saying Pete is a good friend who I hold in the highest regard - he takes these issues seriously. But if it is the worst possible option for Scotland then we’ve no business settling for it. We work until we’ve crafted something better. https://t.co/4osIoBrlSo
— Stewart McDonald MP (@StewartMcDonald) January 12, 2023
However, McDonald replied to a post about the piece on Twitter, saying: “Twitter doesn’t do nuance so I’ll preface by saying Pete is a good friend who I hold in the highest regard – he takes these issues seriously.
“But if it is the worst possible option for Scotland then we’ve no business settling for it. We work until we’ve crafted something better.”
Following the Supreme Court ruling which said that Scotland could not legislate for indyref2 without Westminster consent, there was a surge in support for independence.
However, polls have been split when it comes to what people make of a de facto referendum.
Research conducted by Redfield & Wilton contained bad news for the party as it suggested that just 41% of Scots would vote for the SNP and 2% would vote Green, putting votes for pro-indy parties at 43%.
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However, an IPSOS poll found that the SNP would win a record 58 seats at the next General Election.
The National has also learned that top lawyers have been tasked with re-examining whether Scotland has a right to self-determination in an attempt to challenge last year’s Supreme Court ruling.
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