Scottish Government publishes new independence bill

The Scottish Government has published a fresh independence bill despite Prime Minister Andy Burnham vowing to oppose a referendum.

In a call with John Swinney in July, the new PM is said to have reaffirmed his position. The talks came after voters returned a majority of pro-independence MSPs to Holyrood in May’s election.

And, speaking in Northern Ireland yesterday, Burnham said a poll on Irish unification was “off the table”, stating that the Scottish and Brexit referenda show that the “risks that come from those situations take a long time to heal”.

The Labour leader said votes on Brexit and Scottish independence showed the "risks that come from those situations take a long time to heal".

But the returned SNP government said it would bring forward a new referendum bill in its first 100 days.

Now published, it retains the same question asked of voters in 2014: “Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes or No.”

That question was approved by the Electoral Commission in favour of the Alex Salmond government’s favoured wording, which was: “Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?”

The draft bill has been published ahead of the Programme for Government, which is due next week.

John Swinney said the question chosen was “clear and unambiguous” and insisted there is more to come on his independence mission.

He said: “I will have more to say about Scotland’s constitutional future in the coming weeks. Fundamentally, nobody will take better decisions about Scotland’s future than the people who live here. That future belongs to the people of Scotland – and no one else.” 

As well as setting out the question, the bill defines the franchise for the vote. However, no date for a new referendum has yet been set.

The government said the draft “will include a date upon introduction”.

Swinney stated: “The world has changed fundamentally since 2014. So has the UK, and so has Scotland.

“While people living in the UK endure flatlining living standards and the economic damage caused by Brexit, countries all around us are enjoying a higher quality of life and have more wealth to invest in their public services – often without a fraction of the abundant resources and economic strengths that Scotland enjoys.

“In May, the largest number of pro-independence MSPs in history voted to support the call for powers to hold a referendum on Scottish independence to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

“This draft bill is simple, straightforward and direct. It proposes a clear, unambiguous question, sets out who can vote in the referendum and, once agreed, will include the date. It provides people with certainty. What is now needed is the UK Government to respect the voice of the Scottish people and parliament and transfer the necessary powers.

“Scotland is ready. The Scottish people are ready. It is time the UK Government delivered.”

In July, a government source told the Press Association that Burnham had been firm with Swinney in his opposition to a new ballot, saying: “When the question of independence was raised, the prime minister was quite firm they would have to agree to disagree.

“It’s not something he's focused on and it’s not a conversation that he’s interested in taking forward.”