According to media reports, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats Party on Friday called on the British people to deny the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union at another Brexit referendum and spoke against the possible second Scottish independence referendum.
The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats Party on Friday called on the British people to deny the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union at another Brexit referendum and spoke against the possible second Scottish independence referendum, in an interview with the BBC Scotland broadcaster.
“I’m not going to give up in the face of this isolationist approach to the world, the Donald Trump approach, the Brexit approach and I would argue that the decision to break up the UK too is a regressive approach,” Willie Rennie said.
According to Rennie, the Britons should “sign off” the final Brexit deal by voting in another referendum.
He also noted that the whole of the United Kingdom needed to be kept as part of the European Union and that he was going to “stand up for strong liberal values.”
On the question of the second Scottish independence referendum, Rennie underlined his position against it. He also assumed that the results would be “close, no doubt” if such vote would be held.
On Thursday, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed the Scottish government’s desire to hold an independence referendum in late 2018, with the date being most convenient due to a likely outline of a UK-EU post-Brexit deal by then.
According to the results of the Thursday’s Ipsos MORI poll, 48 percent of Scottish people favored an independent Scotland remaining in the European Union, which contrasted with the results of the 2014 referendum when just 38 percent had voted in favor of independence with 62 percent against.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to initiate the talks on the United Kingdom exit from the European Union before the end of March. The House of Lords has supported the amendment to a Brexit legislation obliging May to have a parliamentary vote on the deal.