Scottish independence: Opposition parties react with fury to SNP’s route to Yes

Scottish Labour interim leader Jackie Baillie said it was “inexcusable” at a time of acute crisis that the SNP was seeking to put its plan for independence “above everything else”.

“Scotland is deep in turmoil with thousands facing a cost of living crisis and thousands more people being lost to the virus,” she said.

“The people of Scotland are being badly let down by an incompetent UK Government and a Scottish Government that seeks to exploit the current crisis for its own ends.

“To turn your back on those most in need by banging the drum for another independence referendum is an act of political hubris and is truly revealing of the Scottish Government’s true priorities.

“It continues to be the Scottish Labour party that makes the case for a fair recovery from this pandemic that leaves no one behind.”

READ MORE: Stunning new poll is 20th in a row to put majority for independence ahead

Scottish LibDem leader Willie Rennie said the SNP had their priorities “all wrong”.

“We need a needle-sharp focus on putting recovery first, not an endless focus on constitutional issues that squeezes out the things that really matter,” he said.

“Thousands of people have lost their lives, even more are living with the long-term effects of the virus, the hospitals are bursting at the seams, operations are cancelled, businesses are on their knees, schools are shut, yet the SNP think now is the time to restart their campaign to break-up the UK. It is crass, insensitive and the wrong priority for our country.

“The SNP seem determined to repeat the mistakes of Brexit with the Brexit II sequel. It’s about time the SNP woke up.”

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said it was “a reckless move” when the top priority had to be delivering the Covid vaccine.

“When all of our focus should be on recovering from this crisis, the SNP are charging ahead with plans for another divisive referendum as early as this year,” he said.

“Most Scots will wonder why time, energy and resources are going into pursuing an illegal referendum when we are facing far bigger challenges as a country right now than the constitution.

“The Scottish Conservatives are the only party strong enough to once again stop the SNP’s push for indyref2, just as we have done every year since 2014.”

However, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie MSP said only the people of Scotland could determine their future, regardless of who the prime minister was.

“That is why the Scottish Greens manifesto will include a clear commitment to holding an independence referendum and, should the people return a majority of MSPs who support that proposition, we will work with other parties to implement it,” he said, adding that it would “clearly” need to happen after the pandemic.

“A referendum, and the subsequent process of re-establishing an independent nation must be beyond legal challenge and Greens will work across parties to ensure that happens,” said Harvie.

READ MORE: SNP unveils plan to hold indyref2 – even if Boris Johnson says no

On Twitter, Scottish Labour’s only MP, Ian Murray, said: “SNP launches an 11 point plan for another Indy ref including the possibility of spending our tax payers money on endless legal cases. If only in their last 14 years we had a plan for cutting attainment gap or opening new hospitals. How about an 11 point plan for Covid recovery?”

Deposed Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw tweeted in the same vein: “Can we get an 11 point plan to get kids back to school? Or maybe to speed up vaccinations? Instead it’s about dividing Scotland, not delivering for Scotland.” Pro-Brexit campaigner Darren Grimes attracted accusations of hypocrisy after he tweeted: “Meanwhile of course there’s a drugs crisis, education crisis, healthcare crisis, budget deficit crisis and the vaccine rollout is falling behind that of England. Of course, independence comes first, right lads?”