ANAS Sarwar repeatedly refused to answer what the route could be for Scotland to leave the United Kingdom in a BBC interview.
It comes after the Scottish Labour leader said it is “for Scottish people to decide what the future of our country is” during the BBC Debate Night election special on June 12.
But this week, Keir Starmer bluntly refused to participate in negotiations for another Scottish independence referendum.
During a visit to West Lothian on Friday, the Labour leader said he would not participate in any talks if the SNP wins a majority of Scottish seats - something the SNP have agreed would give them a mandate to give "democratic effect" to independence.
Speaking on the BBC Sunday Show, the Scottish Labour leader was asked by Martin Geissler about this apparent contradiction.
The BBC journalist asked: “So, it's actually not a matter for the people of Scotland is it? It's a matter of your discretion as to when the people of Scotland get a chance to decide on this.”
Sarwar then responded: “Of course it's for the Scottish people to decide and they have a choice to make on July 4, whether we wake up to five more years of the Tories or we start the process of change.”
Geissler then interrupted to get Sarwar back on the topic of independence and the “route out of the union”, to which the Scottish Labour leader added: “And specifically on independence. We've been really clear in this election campaign, I don't support independence. I don't support a referendum. There isn't a consistent majority for independence. There isn't a majority for a referendum right now.”
Geisslet then said that there was a majority at the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections.
“I'm happy to relitigate the debate in 2021. I don’t think we should use the people’s votes in the middle of a pandemic when many of them were saying thank you and actually are feeling betrayed now by that thank you.”
An exasperated Geissler said: “That’s a caveat to a democratic comment by the country”.
“That was a pandemic election in which people were making a decision,” Sarwar continued.
“You can give any election a tag and say it doesn’t count,” Geissler interjected.
Sarwar went on: “We may disagree on the final destination for Scotland, but the vast majority of people in this country want change. They want to get away from this Tory Government.”
Geissler then asked one final question.
“I’ve asked every unionist leader that has sat on that seat the same question and nobody's given me a satisfactory answer, or a coherent answer,” he said.
“If this union is a voluntary union. The participants in this union can leave if the mood takes them. What is the democratic route out of this union for Scotland? If that's what its people decide.”
Sarwar said: “Well, I go by what other people have said in nationalist parties is the settled will of the Scottish people. So, there is no settled will of the Scottish people.”
He went on, after pressing from Geissler: “The only settled will of the people of Scotland is an overwhelming majority for change.
Geissler asked: “What’s an overwhelming majority?
Sarwar said: “If you look at this country, I would imagine over 80% of this country want to get away from this rotten Tory government.”
Geissler pressed: “I’m not asking you about the Tories, I’m asking you about independence/ What does your party? What does Keir Starmer need to see from the Scottish people? How can they demonstrate that desire in such a way that he will finally say, that’s fine, you get a referendum?
Sarwar responded: “There is no consistent majority for independence. There is not a majority of people who want a referendum right now. There is not a majority for the status quo either. But there is an overwhelming majority for change. And on July 4, people can vote for that.”
“We still don't know what a sustained majority means. We may revisit this I’m sure,” Geissler concluded
