McLeish urges Labour to drop opposition to Indyref2

Labour first minister from 2000 to 2001, said ‘saying no to a second independence referendum has never been a vote winner’.

STV News

11th Apr 2021

A former Labour first minister has said Scottish Labour should drop its “blanket opposition” to a second Scottish independence referendum, saying “it will happen sometime”.

Henry McLeish, who held the position between 2000 and 2001, said the party should ensure other options are part of any future debate on independence.

He told the Sunday Mail: “Merely saying no to a second independence referendum has never been a vote winner. It sounds negative, is interpreted as a denial of democracy and smacks of political panic.

“This has been a problem for Labour, especially in the absence of a well thought-out alternative.”

He added: “Labour should drop its blanket opposition to another referendum. It will happen sometime.

“The party must focus on other questions to be asked of the electorate and to ensure that other alternatives, not just independence, are part of any future debate and public vote.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar opposes a second referendum on Scottish independence.

He is standing against First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for the Glasgow Southside seat at the Holyrood election on May 6.

The SNP leader won the constituency with a majority of almost 10,000 in 2016.