THE UK Labour Party has “categorically” ruled out a second independence referendum taking place in the next 10 years.
Senior shadow cabinet member David Lammy was unequivocal as he was asked about his party’s stance on another vote.
It follows Nicola Sturgeon firing the starting gun on the Yes campaign, with her government confirming on Wednesday that it plans to hold a ballot in October 2023.
Lammy, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, was asked on Sky News if he could rule out indyref2 at any point in the next 10 years.
He replied: “Categorically. We are a Unionist party. We believe in the Union. We can rule that out categorically.”
The Labour frontbencher was also pressed on whether the “branch office in Glasgow is going to be saying exactly the same thing”, He said: “Yes”.
"We are a unionist party, we believe in the union" says Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, when asked about Labour's position on a second Scottish independence referendum - adding he could "rule it out, categorically".#KayBurley: https://t.co/G9cmyYo1Ui 📺 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/zxRcOs2uZQ
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 15, 2022
The First Minister launched the new independence campaign at Bute House on Tuesday as she unveiled the first in a series of papers which will form a new prospectus for independence.
She insisted the vote will take place with or without Westminster’s consent.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar branded Sturgeon's speech "a disappointing return to the politics of the past", insisting the majority of Scots are opposed to independence.
He urged the SNP leader not to "turn her back" on other vital issues to "focus on her own obsession" with independence.
At her Edinburgh press conference, the First Minister dismissed claims that another referendum would be a distraction.
She also noted there is a "decisive majority" of pro-independence MSPs in Holyrood – the same criteria which saw the Tories grant a Section 30 order a decade ago.
Lammy predicted a Yes victory in a future referendum when quizzed about the constitutional question in 20202.
He told the Pod Save The World podcast: "The culture and temperament in Scotland has now swung entirely behind the SNP, and if you think about it, from their point of view they want to remain in the European Union.
"They have a history ... as an independent country. They are very likely to get that independence vote, and they are likely to vote for independence."
