'Absolutely not': Wes Streeting rules out second independence referendum
The UK Health Secretary said the country has had ‘enough of chaos’
Wes Streeting has categorically ruled out giving the SNP the power to hold a second independence referendum.
The UK Health Secretary said the country has had “enough of chaos”, and insisted: "We're not having one."
The SNP accused the Labour politician of “sticking two fingers up at Scottish voters” by seeking to “deny democracy”.
It comes after a poll put the Nationalists on course to win an overall majority at next month’s Holyrood election.
First Minister John Swinney has said this would provide the mandate for another referendum.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the Scottish government cannot hold an independence referendum without the consent of UK ministers.
"We're not going to introduce chaos into the UK by having an independence referendum, absolutely not,” Mr Streeting told Sunday with Lewis Goodall on LBC.
"The SNP would like to make this all about the constitution again to avoid running on their domestic record."
Pressed on the issue repeatedly, Mr Streeting said: "We had an independence referendum not long ago. And honestly, let's just think about what the UK has been through.
"We've had the financial crash, we had years of Tory austerity, we had the catastrophe of Brexit, we've had the war in Ukraine, the war in Iran, the Covid pandemic. I think this country has had enough of chaos."
YouGov’s first full MRP (multilevel regression and post-stratification) poll of the Scottish election campaign showed the SNP on track for a fifth term in power at Edinburgh.
The pollster said 89 per cent of its simulations resulted in an SNP majority, something the party only achieved in 2011, and which later led to the 2014 referendum.
YouGov found the SNP taking a 41 per cent constituency vote share, down seven points from the last Holyrood election, and a 32 per cent regional share, down eight points. This would see the SNP return 67 MSPs, modelling suggests.
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It forecast 15 MSPs for Scottish Labour, seven fewer than the party won in the 2021 Holyrood contest, in what would be the party’s worst performance in a Scottish Parliament election.
SNP depute leader Keith Brown said: "The Labour Party is sticking two fingers up at Scottish voters, and unwittingly making the case for independence, by arrogantly seeking to deny democracy.
"The fact that senior Labour Party figures are telling Scottish voters their views and votes don't matter is all the more reason to show them where to go on May 7 by voting SNP.
"The fact is that it will not be Wes Streeting, Keir Starmer or any other Westminster politician who decide Scotland’s future - it will be the people of Scotland. And an SNP majority on May 7 will unlock the fresh start of independence.
"Scotland is an energy-rich country with huge wealth but under the Labour Party we're saddled with sky-high bills, Brexit and the constant chaos of Westminster control.”
Patrick Harvie, the former Scottish Green co-leader and party candidate, accused Labour of “showing complete contempt for Scotland and our democracy”.
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