Ian Blackford schooled by Iain Dale over Indyref2 plan

IndyRef2: Ian Blackford grilled on SNP's election results

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Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to use the next general election to try to win Scottish independence – after the Supreme Court ruled another referendum cannot be held without the backing of Westminster. But LBC host Iain Dale pointed out to Ian Blackford that the party has not won a majority since the 2013 referendum. He said: “Since 2014, you’ve never won a majority of the vote in any election.

“If you put yourself together with the Greens in the Scottish Parliament, you’ve won seats there so there’s a pro-independence majority in the parliament but in terms of actual voters, you’ve never had a majority.”

Mr Blackford replied: “Since 2014, there have been eight elections and we’ve won all of those.

“In the Scottish election in 2021, if you look at the list votes, there was a yes majority in the list votes.

“There was a case when people were exercising their vote that way that a yes majority did exist.

“We want to make sure people who are on the other side come with us because I want Scotland to be as good as it can be.”

Mr Dale interjected: “But you’re never going to achieve that, are you?

“You’ve seen what’s happened on Brexit six years on and the divisions are still there.

“Maybe they’re not as apparent as they were back in 2016 but they are still there.

“If it was 52-48, you’re not going to be able to persuade the 48 percent that they’ve done something wrong.”

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Judges at the UK’s highest court announced their unanimous ruling on Wednesday, making clear the Scottish Parliament “does not have the power to legislate for a referendum on Scottish independence”.

Following the judgment, the Scottish First Minister vowed to continuing pushing for independence, saying: “As long as there is breath in my body, I refuse to give up on the basic principle of democracy.”

She said a special SNP conference will be held in the new year “to discuss and agree the detail of a proposed de facto referendum”, using the next UK election.

She said: “No party can dictate the basis on which people cast their votes.

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“But a party can be, indeed should be, crystal clear about the purpose for which it is seeking popular support.

“In this case, for the SNP that will be to establish – just as in a referendum – majority support in Scotland for independence so that we can then achieve independence.”

She said the SNP will also “launch and mobilise a major campaign in defence of Scottish democracy”.

Speaking to journalists in Edinburgh, she declared: “We should be in no doubt, as of today democracy is what is at stake.

“This is no longer about whether Scotland becomes independent, vital though that decision is. It is now more fundamental.”

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