THE SNP have described “as deeply hypocritical” an attack by the Tories on Nicola Sturgeon’s push for a second independence referendum. In a speech this morning the Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross will step up his criticism of the First Minister arguing “she is putting party before country” in her bid to hold a new vote on Scotland’s future in the UK. It comes just days after Jacob Rees-Mogg disparagingly referred to the SNP leader as “Moan-a-loat”. Nicola Sturgeon has said she wants a second referendum in the early part of the next parliament once the pandemic is over.
Alister Jack also ridiculed the SNP s recent 11-point plan towards independence (Image: BBC)
This would mean an independence referendum being held around December 2021.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has already vowed to boycott any such poll.
The BBC s Politics Sunday host Gary Robertson asked Mr Jack: We have seen the SNP s 11-point roadmap towards independence. They see this coming election as a choice between indyref2 or not. If there is a pro-independence majority at Holyrood after the election, is Westminster morally bound to grant a Section 30 order for another referendum?
Jamie Greene ‘fact checks’ SNPs education budget
The SNP had hoped to force a referendum on Scotland leaving the UK before the end of this year (Image: GETTY)
NICOLA Sturgeon has admitted that Scotland’s vaccine rollout is “dipping a bit” on Sundays after the number of first doses administered yesterday was the lowest since daily figures started being published three weeks ago. The First Minister also said that a failure to vaccinate one million people with their first dose of the vaccine by the end of January, as promised by Health Secretary Jeane Freeman in November, was down to figures being “refined” as supplies took shape. Yesterday, only 9,628 people received their first dose of the jag in Scotland, a 58 per cent drop on Saturday s numbers – while 11,364 people were given the vaccine last Sunday.
| UPDATED: 15:56, Mon, Feb 1, 2021
Link copied Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again
SUBSCRIBE Invalid email
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters.
Sometimes they ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer.
Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
The SNP released an 11-point plan last week stating they would hold another vote if a pro-independence majority of MSPs was returned in May s Holyrood elections whether a Section 30 order granting it from London was forthcoming or not. Despite Boris Johnson s refusal to allow Scotland a second referendum, political columnist Peter Hitchens said he should let them go . He claimed that the country might return to the UK in the future.
Sturgeon lashed out at the UK Government for blocking the SNP from releasing vaccine data (Image: BBC)
The SNP leader continued: I want to get to a position where we have an understanding that we all agree that we don t publish these, or we publish them properly. If they are going to be briefed, I would rather we published them properly and transparently I hope people will realise it s not political to say it s not fair to stop the Scottish Government from releasing figures when another Government is briefing them out to the press.
The backlash online was swift, with one accusing Ms Sturgeon of politicising on the daily SNP broadcast again .