John Swinney’s renewed push for a second Scottish independence referendum has been rejected by Downing Street, with the Prime Minister’s spokesman saying Andy Burnham has already made clear that another vote is “off the table”.
The Scottish Government published draft legislation on Friday that would pave the way for a fresh referendum on independence at a future date.
The proposed Independence Referendum Bill includes the question voters would be asked: “Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes or No.”
Ministers in Edinburgh said the Bill would be brought before Holyrood once the required powers had been obtained.
However, Mr Burnham has previously stated that he would not consent to another independence referendum.
Responding to the SNP’s latest move on Friday, a UK Government spokesman said: “The Prime Minister made clear to the First Minister in their first meeting that another referendum on independence was off the table.
“It would take our focus away from growing the economy and helping families with the cost of living. We will continue working with the Scottish Government and other partners to build a fairer country for everyone.”
Mr Swinney urged Westminster to “respect the voice of the Scottish people and parliament”.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told John Swinney another independence referendum is ‘off the table’
The Bill fails to address the key obstacle of how Holyrood could hold another referendum without the consent of Westminster.
The Supreme Court has previously ruled that the Scottish parliament does not have the power to legislate for another vote without the agreement of the UK Parliament.
The latest legislation is the fourth draft Bill published by the SNP on the issue in the past decade.
Mr Swinney said the legislation would give Scots ‘certainty’ and again called on Westminster to transfer the necessary powers to Holyrood.
He said: ‘The world has changed fundamentally since 2014. So has the UK, and so has Scotland.
‘While people living in the UK endure flatlining living standards and the economic damage caused by Brexit, countries all around us are enjoying a higher quality of life and have more wealth to invest in their public services – often without a fraction of the abundant resources and economic strengths that Scotland enjoys.’
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An SNP spokesman said: ‘The First Minister has been clear that it is for the people of Scotland to decide their future, not out of touch Westminster politicians.’
It comes as Mr Swinney was accused of spending his first 100 days in government chasing headlines rather than delivering for the people of Scotland.
The Scottish Tories say the first months of the SNP Government since the election has been a ‘catalogue of failure’ with leader Russell Findlay slamming what he called Mr Swinney’s ‘gimmicks’ and ‘incompetence’.
The criticism also comes after it emerged the opening of one of the SNP’s flagship GP walk-in centres in north east Scotland has been delayed due to a lack of doctors.
Friday marked 100 days since Mr Swinney formed his latest government after winning May’s Holyrood election.
Mr Swinney called on Westminster to ‘respect the voice of the Scottish people and parliament’
And Mr Findlay accused the SNP of broken promises, rising crime and continued pressure on Scotland’s public services.
He said: ‘John Swinney’s SNP has had 100 days to show Scots that they’ve changed. But instead, it’s more of the same gimmicks, broken promises and incompetence.
‘At the very start of the new parliament, the first thing Swinney put on the agenda was the SNP’s obsession with breaking up our country.
‘For 100 days he’s failed to deliver, with more than 770,000 Scots now stuck on NHS waiting lists. Prisoners are being set free early and the police are at breaking point, while violent crime is surging.
‘SNP pledges on bus fares, critical public service reform and support for island communities have already fallen by the wayside.
‘And we’ve heard nothing about how they intend to deliver or pay for gimmick policies like free schoolbags and supermarket price-fixing.
‘Meanwhile, hard-working taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for monumental SNP waste and their out-of-control benefits bill.’
The Scottish Government was contacted for comment.
