Nicola Sturgeon fires starting gun on new Scottish independence campaign

Nicola Sturgeon has fired the starting gun on a new independence campaign by insisting that there is an“indisputable mandate” for a second referendum.

The First Minister of Scotland was speaking as she launched the first of a series of papers “making the case afresh for Scotland becoming an independent country”.

The “updated independence prospectus” was unveiled at the hScottish Government’s Building a New Scotland series at Bute House in Edinburgh on Tuesday.

“The case for Scotland charting our own course, a better course, is strong and compelling,” she said.

Scotland was “being held back” by Westminster she said, adding that leaving the UK would give the country “the levers and the autonomy” other nations have to “fulfil their potential”.

“Independence does not guarantee success for any country, and we should never pretend it does,” she said.

“But, for Scotland, independence will put the levers that determine success into our own hands.

“It will mean we can work in partnership with our friends in the rest of the UK, but not be subject to decisions of Westminster governments we don’t vote for which are taking us in the wrong direction.”

She insisted that Scotland “deserves the very best” and that “independence is how we can secure that”.

‘Obsession’

Rival parties have hit out at the move, saying that the SNP government should focus on the problems they were facing at home.

Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman Donald Cameron said: “Nicola Sturgeon is wilfully ignoring Scotland’s priorities to push ahead with plans for a second divisive independence referendum in 2023.

“The vast majority of Scottish people don’t want the distraction of another referendum next year.

“Yet Nicola Sturgeon is recklessly pressing ahead with her obsession anyway – this is nothing short of shameful when the country is facing so many momentous challenges.”

Labour constitution spokeswoman Sarah Boyack said that while people were “struggling to put food on the table during the worst cost of living crisis in a decade” the SNP and Greens were focusing on “their constitutional obsession”.

She hit out: “We should be working together to tackle the cost of living crisis now – but instead the SNP-Green government want to tear us apart.

“Far from making us wealthier, happier and fairer, the SNP and the Greens are putting our future at risk with plans that would make Brexit look like a walk in the park.”