General election 2015: Nicola Sturgeon rejects claims SNP will 'propose another Scottish independence referendum in 2016'
Former deputy leader says issue will be 'the first line' of SNP's 2016 manifesto
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Your support makes all the difference.An SNP party veteran and former MP has claimed that another referendum on Scottish independence would be “the first line” of the party’s manifesto in 2016.
Jim Sillars, who was the deputy leader of the party under Alex Salmond, said in an interview with The Telegraph that he could see no way the SNP would not propose a new referendum next year, to take place “when it suits us”.
Labour has today released two new campaign posters, one of which warned of a second independence referendum under the SNP with the other saying Scotland would have a “fairer economy” under Jim Murphy and nationwide party leader Ed Miliband.
But first minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon dismissed the Labour warnings as “desperate scaremongering” from a party in its “death throes” in Scotland.
At First Minister's Questions, Scottish Labour's deputy leader Kezia Dugdale called on the SNP leader to repeat her assertion that last year's independence poll was a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity".
Ms Sturgeon said: "If the people of Scotland want a referendum to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, that is exactly what it will be.
"This is desperate, last-throw-of-the-dice stuff from Scottish Labour. Talk about a party in its death throes."
Mr Sillars later tweeted for “context” that it was “my belief SNP members will expect to fight 2016 on independence and [a] referendum when it suits us”.
While Ms Sturgeon did not address his comments today, a spokesperson for the SNP did tell the Telegraph: “As Nicola Sturgeon has said, this election is about making Scotland stronger at Westminster with a team of SNP MPs. It is emphatically not about independence, and we are not planning for another referendum - regardless of how many seats we win next Thursday.”
The party’s current leadership did not rule out a referendum at some point, but said “something substantive” would have to change before another be proposed – “such as Scotland getting dragged out of Europe against our will”.
The spokesperson added that “Jim is entitled to his personal opinion”.
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