Nicola Sturgeon has claimed independence would provide Scots with an alternative to being left with Boris Johnson's “disreputable, discredited UK Government”.
The First Minister today repeated her previous announcement that “preparatory work is underway” to enable an IndyRef2 to take place before the end of 2023.
But Holyrood lacks the power to hold a legally binding referendum and the UK Government has insisted the result of the 2014 referendum must be respected.
Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Sturgeon said: "The alternative to independence is to continue to be governed by parties at Westminster that we don’t vote for and right now that is by a disreputable, discredited government and a Prime Minister, frankly, with no integrity, no shame and no moral compass.”
She added Johnson was a “prime minister that even Douglas Ross doesn’t think is fit for office”.
With the Prime Minister under continued pressure over lockdown parties in Downing Street, she added: “Scotland can do better than that and, with independence, we will do better.”
Her comments came at First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, as SNP backbencher Stuart McMillan asked for an update on referendum plans.
Sturgeon responded: “The people of Scotland elected this Government last May, their democratic decision was to elect a Parliament with the biggest ever majority of MSPs in favour of an independence referendum.
“So, in line with the clear mandate given by people in that election, preparatory work is underway so a referendum can be held, as I’ve said as the Covid crisis passes, and Covid permitting, within the first half of this parliamentary term.
“Then the people of Scotland will have the choice to take our future into our own hands, instead of being at the mercy of a disreputable, discredited UK Government.”
She also claimed that “virtually every promise” made by the pro-UK campaign in the run up to the 2014 vote had “since been broken”.
She added: “The crowning one of all of those, of course, was the fact that according to them the only way to protect Scotland’s membership of the European Union was to vote No to independence.
“And here we are, ripped out of the EU.”
The First Minister continued: “There’s a key point here because independence is about aspiration, it is about empowerment, it is about taking our destiny into our own hands so we can build a better future.
“I think it is because they fear the power of that positive argument that Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrats want to deny Scotland the choice.”
She insisted: “Any political party in this chamber that was confident in their arguments around independence would not be desperate to deny the people of Scotland the right to make that choice.”
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