Nicola Sturgeon Refuses to Rule Out THIRD Independence Referendum if She Loses a Second

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has refused to rule out a third referendum on leaving the UK if she loses a second one, or to respect a moratorium on fresh referendums for a fixed period.

The First Minister was asked whether, “If there was a second vote, should it apply for a minimum period of time; for a generation; 25, 30 years?” by an audience member at a special Q&A edition of BBC Question Time for the general election.

But the former solicitor said: “I don’t think it’s right for any politician to dictate to a country what its future should be. I think that should be a choice for the people of Scotland” – to groans and jeers from the studio audience.

Prior to the 2014 referendum, in which Scots backed preserving the United Kingdom by a decisive margin, the 46-year-old MSP insisted “the SNP have always said that in our view these kinds of referendums are once in a generation events”.

She added: “This is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity for Scotland and I hope we seize that opportunity.”

The Scottish Labour Party was able to compile a montage of the First Minister describing the previous referendum as either a “once in a generation” or “once in a lifetime” event on at least eight separate occasions prior to the General Election in 2015.

However, following Britain’s vote to Leave the European Union on June 23rd, 2016, she was able to squeak through a vote in favour of a second referendum in the Scottish Parliament, with the support of the Green Party.

Sturgeon claims Brexit represents a fundamental change, and the EU Single Market is so important to the Scottish economy, that Scots must be given the right to leave the UK and pursue rejoining the EU – although figures appear to suggest the British Single Market is roughly four times more important.

Sturgeon’s predecessor as SNP leader, Gordon MP Alex Salmond, made it clear what he meant by “once in a generation” in an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show whilst he was leading the ‘Yes’ campaign in 2014.

“What I mean is, if you remember the previous constitutional referendum [on establishing a Scottish Parliament], there was one in 1979; the next one was 1997. That’s what I mean by a political generation.”

Follow Jack Montgomery on Twitter: @JackBMontgomery