SNP Commons Leader Issues Referendum And Election Challenge

28 July 2019, 13:44

The SNP's Ian Blackford has called on Boris Johnson to give Scotland a second independence vote and said he would welcome a general election.

The SNP's leader in the House of Commons told LBC that Westminster would regret refusing Scotland permission for a new independence referendum.

Blackford also welcomed the idea of calling an early general election, with the SNP holding steady in the polls.

He said: "When the SNP went in front of the electorate in 2016 in the elections for the Scottish Parliament, we came with a manifesto commitment that if there was a material change in circumstances [on Brexit], then we reserve that right to call a referendum.

"We then went on to win the Westminster elections...then our highest share of the vote in any European elections, so we've got a triple lock when it comes to votes of the people of Scotland supporting the SNP and supporting that mandate that we have."

A poll in the Times last month showed that 53% would vote for an independent Scotland if Boris Johnson became Prime Minister.