Scottish independence: Labour leader Richard Leonard ‘to consider backing indyref2’ In a dramatic change of stance, Richard Leonard could ditch his opposition to a second Scottish independence referendum

The leader of Scottish Labour is considering reversing his party’s opposition to a second Scottish independence referendum in the wake of the general election, i understands.

Richard Leonard is reluctant to back the SNP‘s calls for indyref2 but is under growing pressure to change the party’s position after interventions by a series of senior figures.

Labour now has only one MP north of the border after losing its six other Westminster seats, with Ian Murray in Edinburgh South the only survivor in a repeat of 2015’s result.

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While Mr Leonard has insisted he will stay on to fight the 2021 Holyrood election, several senior MSPs have now called for the SNP’s indyref2 mandate to be respected.

Nicola Sturgeon’s party won 48 of Scotland’s 59 seats after its manifesto called for a second referendum on independence to be held in the second half of 2020.

Future of Scotland

Labour frontbencher Monica Lennon said while she still opposed independence, the question of whether to hold a vote or not should be left to the Scottish Parliament.

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“The SNP blueprint for independence is flawed and will disappoint many progressive Scots who are fed up with austerity,” she told the Sunday Mail newspaper.

“Nevertheless, the future of Scotland must be decided by the people of Scotland.”

Her views were endorsed by former MP Ged Killen, who lost his seat of Rutherglen and Hamilton West to the SNP. “I campaigned on a promise to vote against indyref2, but I lost,” he said.

Agreed. I campaigned on a promise to vote against indyref2, but I lost. The SNP made massive gains on a promise to hold another referendum and, as democrats, we must accept it even if we don't like it. https://t.co/jjyouFIDxa — Ged Killen (@Gedk) December 15, 2019

“The SNP made massive gains on a promise to hold another referendum and, as democrats, we must accept it even if we don’t like it.”

Cannot run away

Neil Findlay, one of Mr Leonard’s close allies, also backed the idea of a second referendum despite reiterating his concerns that independence could ultimately lead to further austerity.

“As Scottish Labour surveys the ashes of the latest political earthquake, some fundamental questions must be asked and I cannot say this loudly enough – we cannot run away from the independence question,” he wrote in a post on Facebook.

“As a democrat first and foremost I accept that the people of Scotland have the right to choose their own future.”

In a statement on Sunday evening, Mr Leonard said: “After Thursday’s devastating election result, it is crucial that we learn the lessons of our defeat.

“We must develop a clear constitutional offer that wins back the confidence of voters who in this election felt that we did not offer clarity over Scotland’s future “Our starting point is that rather than expecting the people of Scotland to come home to us, Scottish Labour must instead come home to them.”

A switch in position from Labour would not automatically trigger indyref2, as the power to grant a second vote lies in Westminster and would have to be passed to Holyrood by Boris Johnson.

But it would significantly increase the pressure on the Prime Minister to agree to another referendum, which he has so far ruled out during his time in office.

The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford welcomed the comments from the Labour politicians, arguing that his party’s mandate for another vote was “cast iron”.

“While we will not all agree on independence, we can surely find common ground that this decision must be in Scotland’s hands – not Boris Johnson’s,” he added.