HOLYROOD has confirmed Nicola Sturgeon will set out her programme for government next Tuesday afternoon.
The First Minister will unveil her legislation plans from 2.20pm to 2.50pm with a two-hour debate following her statement.
The programme for government was originally scheduled to be released this week, but was postponed because of work finalising the deal with the Scottish Greens.
Though no details have been released about what will be contained in the announcement, it is widely expected that plans to push ahead with indyref2 will be a key focus.
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Over recent months the SNP have underlined a message that independence will enable Scotland to recover better from the pandemic than if the country remained in the UK.
A draft bill for a new independence referendum was published by the Scottish Government shortly before May’s Holyrood election and the commitment to hold a new referendum before 2026 – so long as the pandemic has passed – was a centrepiece in the SNP’s manifesto ahead of the poll.
The pledge to hold a referendum in the first half of the current parliament is also included in the agreed policy programme signed with the Greens (below).
“The Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party believe that independence within the EU would provide the best conditions for Scotland, the people who live here, and future generations, to thrive. We will give people a choice about Scotland’s future in this parliamentary session,” the shared policy programme states.
“The necessity and urgency of independence have been underlined by the Covid pandemic. The full range of powers of an independent country would allow Scotland to put in place a transformational recovery from the pandemic, one which will lead to a fairer and more sustainable and prosperous nation.
“We recognise that a further powerful argument for independence is the undermining and erosion of the devolution settlement and the powers of the Scottish Parliament by the UK Government.”
It adds: “Therefore, we will:
- Secure a referendum on Scottish independence after the Covid crisis. This would be within the current parliamentary session on a specific date to be determined by the Scottish Parliament. If the Covid crisis has passed, our intention is for the referendum to be within the first half of the five-year parliamentary session
- Work together to make the case that Scotland should be an independent country within the European Union, recognising each party’s right and duty to set out its own arguments for, and visions of, independence
- Protect and enhance the powers and responsibilities of the Scottish Government and Parliament, securing their ability to make decisions in the best interests of Scotland.”
The SNP won a record fourth term in government in May, falling just one MSP short of a majority. With 64 SNP MSPs and seven Greens MSPs, there is a pro-independence majority in Holyrood, meaning legislation on a new referendum should pass comfortably.
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