SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford pledged legislation for a second independence referendum will still proceed at Holyrood during an independence march.

A ruling by the Supreme Court last week that the Scottish Parliament had gone beyond its powers in two bills led to claims it could derail any attempt to legislate for indyref2 without a Section 30 order.

But addressing a Yes2indee march and rally held in Glasgow earlier today (October 9), Blackford indicated that the plans remained unchanged as he repeated the message to Boris Johnson that “you cannot deny democracy”.

The National:

He said: “Our First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been very clear that the responsibility that the Government has, that she has, is to lead Scotland through that pandemic.

“But I can assure you that the bill for a referendum will be coming in front of the Scottish Parliament, and the First Minister has indicated that if we have dealt with that pandemic, we will be having that referendum in 2023.”

The mention of a 2023 date for a second independence referendum brought some shouts of “too late” from the crowd.

Blackford went on to urge campaigners to go out and convince others to back a Yes vote.

“The job for all of us is to win the hearts and the minds of the people of Scotland,” he said. “The job for all of us is to go door to door, street to street, village to village, town to town, city to city and to make sure that the people of Scotland are ready to cast their votes for Scotland becoming an independent country.

“Let’s make sure we go out and have that debate.

“I know each and every person here wants Scotland to be an independent country, but our task, our job, is to make sure we take our country with us – a united country that recognises Scotland’s destiny is as an independent country.”

The National:

Blackford said when the House of Commons returns after recess, the SNP Westminster group will be meeting to discuss how to work with and support the wider Yes movement in order to “complete the journey to independence”.

And there were cheers as he concluded by saying: “The important thing is this is coming – we know we have that mandate, we know the Scottish Parliament will enact the referendum bill, the time will come for us to make sure, each and every one of us, that we win the argument on the doorsteps.

“Scotland will become an independent country.”

The National:

Organisers said around 600-700 people attended the march, which began at Kelvin Way and finished at Glasgow Green.

Yes2indee national organiser Gary Kelly thanked Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council for facilitating the event, adding: “It was a dreich day in Glasgow but the spirits of the marchers were not dampened.”