London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

No independence referendum until Covid restrictions lifted, Sturgeon says

No independence referendum until Covid restrictions lifted, Sturgeon says

Scottish first minister confirms poll will not be held until curbs are lifted and pressure on NHS has eased
The spirit of cooperation between the Scottish and UK governments established during the pandemic should result in agreement on a second independence referendum, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

In comments released ahead of her speech at the Scottish National party online conference on Monday, the first minister is expected to say that “democracy must – and will – prevail”, regarding the results of May’s parliamentary election in Scotland, which returned a pro-independence majority.

The UK government has until recently consistently refused to countenance giving Holyrood the powers to hold a second legal referendum. But in recent months, and since May’s election, that stance has softened, with the Scottish secretary, Alister Jack, saying last month that Westminster could grant one if support remained at 60% for a sustained period.

“So it is in that spirit of cooperation that I hope the Scottish and UK governments can reach agreement, as we did in 2014, to allow the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland to be heard and respected,” Sturgeon will tell delegates.

The first minister has repeatedly pledged to hold another poll by the end of 2023, but only if the public health crisis is over.

On Sunday, delegates at the Scottish National party’s online conference backed a motion calling for a draft referendum bill to be brought forward “at the earliest moment”, but the party leader told Sky News that morning that another poll will not be held until pressure on the NHS has eased and all coronavirus curbs have been lifted.

Sturgeon said that for a referendum campaign to have proper focus from the public, it was crucial that there was “an overall environment in the country where people are not in their day-to-day lives being asked to limit or restrict their behaviour”.

“This is not just about safety of polling stations,” she said. “It is about making sure that as a country faces a big, important decision about its future, it’s able to focus on that properly and it doesn’t have looming over that a Covid crisis.”

Later on Sunday, the SNP membership supported a motion by 535 votes to 10 that stated the decision “should be determined by data-driven criteria about the clear end to the public health crisis, which would allow a full, normal and energetic referendum campaign”.

In his leader address to the Alba conference, taking place on the same weekend as the SNP’s gathering, Alex Salmond was again critical of Sturgeon’s approach to a second referendum, telling delegates: “If you constantly march people up to the top of the hill and then down again, then you end up all singing Rule Britannia.”

Mocking Sturgeon’s announcement in her programme for government last week that civil servants were resuming work on the case of independence, the former first minister and former SNP leader said: “Wow. Haud me back. It is perfectly reasonable for the SNP to conduct a virtual conference – but not to conduct a virtual referendum campaign.”

Salmond said a strategy was needed to overcome the repeated refusal of the Westminster government to grant Holyrood the necessary powers to hold a legal referendum. “After 2011, we faced down David Cameron and George Osborne,” he said. “Are we really saying Scotland can’t face down Boris Johnson and the disco king himself, Michael Gove?”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×