JEREMY Corbyn will be under pressure to say when exactly he will allow a second independence referendum when he comes to Scotland to kick off a 48-hour whirlwind tour of Labour target seats.
Last week, at the launch of her party’s election campaign, Nicola Sturgeon said she would work with the Labour leader in a “progressive alliance” to keep Boris Johnson out of Number 10.
But the First Minister made clear that to win her party’s support, Labour would need to “recognise as a central principle the right of the people of Scotland to choose their own future”.
The Labour leadership has repeatedly said it will not be entering pacts or agreeing deals with the SNP, but Sturgeon has suggested this is more to do with sparing the blushes of the party’s Scottish chief, Richard Leonard.
Over the summer, Corbyn and his shadow chancellor John McDonnell seemed to shift the party’s position on indyref2, saying they would agree to give the Scottish Parliament the powers to hold a referendum if Holyrood demanded them.
But Labour has since hardened its stance and said it would not grant a Section 30 order – devolving the powers necessary for a new vote – in the first few years of a Labour government and would force Sturgeon to seek a mandate for independence in the 2021 Holyrood election.
The Labour leader will be in Glasgow this morning before heading to Hamilton and Coatbridge. He’ll head east tomorrow with stops in Dundee and Edinburgh.
Addressing SNP activists at a rally in Johnstone last night, Sturgeon said neither Corbyn nor the Tories should stand in the way of indyref2.
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She said: “For all the bluster from Westminster politicians, the reality is that everyone knows a fresh independence referendum is coming.
“And when the people of Scotland are next given a choice over their future, I am confident they will choose a better future with independence.
“Despite the mess of Brexit and the broken Westminster system, I am optimistic about Scotland’s future.
“All of us should be,” she added.
“We know that Scotland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
“We know that when we become independent, we’ll do it from the starting point of having human and natural resources that most countries can only dream of.
“So once we escape from Brexit, we’ll be able to make different and better choices about our future.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Tory MSP Annie Wells urged Unionist Labour voters annoyed by Corbyn’s position on indyref2 to back her party.
She said: “From his weakness on the Union to the threat he poses to our security, Mr Corbyn simply cannot be trusted.
“He is an active risk to the Union.”
Wells added:“To those Labour voters who want a party which will still defend the Union and take the fight to Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP, you now have only one choice at this election – and that is to back the Scottish Conservatives.”
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Speaking ahead of Corbyn’s visit, the Scottish Labour leader said the party’s plans to expand social care in England would lead to an extra
£600 million a year for the Scottish bloc grant through Barnett Consequentials.
Leonard said the money should be used to create a Scottish Care Service (SCS) promoting consistency and minimum standards and to hike the wages of workers in the sector.
“Scottish Labour’s plan for a Scottish Care Service would improve the working conditions for staff, reduce waiting times, and allow the NHS to treat patients without delay.
“Under our plan, local government will be at the heart of delivering integrated care. This is about ensuring proper time for care visits, and bringing dignity back to carers and care users alike.”
Leonard added: “We must elect a UK Labour government on December 12 to ensure that Scotland’s care services get the investment they need.
“This is the difference a UK Labour government can make. Scottish Labour would introduce the Scottish Care Service in government – and the SNP should commit to doing the same.”
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