SNP backs second EU referendum

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has said her MPs would back a second Brexit referendum if it came up for a vote in Parliament, but indicated that her support would be contingent on the promise of a second Scottish independence vote.

Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew May ahead of the party conference in Glasgow, Sturgeon predicted any Brexit deal brought back from Brussels would be a “fudge”, which would be almost as bad as no deal at all.

“I think in most circumstances, MPs of all parties - sensible MPs of all parties - should come together and look at the alternatives,” she said.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

In such a scenario, demand for a second referendum “would grow”, and SNP MPs would “not stand in the way”, she said. “I think the SNP MPs would undoubtedly vote for it.”

She did, however, add that she would seek assurances Scotland would not be in the position of once voting again to remain in the EU only to be forced to leave, suggesting her support may be conditionally tied to a new independence vote.

Sturgeon said she would announce her blueprint for a second Scottish independence referendum once Theresa May confirms a Brexit deal with Brussels, which she said “looks as if it might be November.”

On Saturday, the party’s leader in Westminster, Ian Blackford, told the The Observer: “We have to have the protection of knowing that if the UK has a second vote [on Brexit] and we end up in the same situation as we had in 2016, we would be able to determine our own future.”

A poll published in The Sun on Sunday and The Sunday Herald suggests a no-deal Brexit would see backing for Scottish independence reach 52%, its highest level since 2014’s vote.

The Survation survey also shows support would be a 50/50 split if the break-up goes “as planned”, while support for leaving the UK would be at 46% if there was another referendum tomorrow.

A YouGov poll of SNP party members shows a huge majority support a second Brexit referendum, although the BBC reports that there will no discussion of independence or a second referendum in the main conference hall.

Nevertheless, The Independent, which is campaigning for the so-called People’s Vote, says the SNP’s support for giving the British people a final say on the outcome of Brexit is “a major boost for those pushing for a new referendum, with Labour also having signalled backing for the move last month”.

Markets reacted positively to news from both the UK and EU that talks were nearing completion. However, while Theresa May may be able to strike a deal with Brussels on her Chequers Brexit proposal, she faces a far greater challenge getting it through parliament.

Stubborn resistence in Parliament could make calls for a second referendum on the final terms of the deal hard to ignore, making the SNPs 35 MPs crucial in any vote.