British PM: No Scottish plebiscite in near future

Reuters

Another Scottish independence referendum should not take place for a generation, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said, as Scotland’s leader renewed calls for a fresh vote in the wake of Brexit.

“Referendums in my experience, direct experience, in this country are not particularly jolly events,” the prime minister said on a BBC program on Sunday.

“They don’t have a notably unifying force in the national mood, they should be only once in a generation.”

Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom in 2014. Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon at the time called it a once-in-a-generation vote, but now argues that Britain’s departure from the European Union, which a majority of Scots opposed, has changed the game.

Recent polls have shown consistent support for independence, boosted by rows between London and the devolved governments over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

“For too long, successive UK governments have taken Scotland in the wrong direction, culminating in Brexit. It’s no wonder so many people in Scotland have had enough,” Sturgeon wrote on her party’s website.

“We didn’t want to leave and we hope to join you again soon as an equal partner,” she added, in a message to the EU.

When asked why it was fair to hold a referendum on EU membership but not another on Scottish independence, Johnson said: “The difference is we had a (European) referendum in 1975 and we then had another one in 2016. That seems to be about the right sort of gap.”

Also on Sunday, Johnson expressed his intention to carry on as prime minister after Brexit.

When asked in a BBC interview if he wanted to continue in the role, Johnson said: “Yes.”