Scottish leader backs case for independence 10 years after failed poll

The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader was speaking 10 years to the day since Scots voted against independence

Scotland’s leader John Swinney said on Wednesday (September 18, 2024() that the country’s pro-separatist movement must build on the “overwhelmingly positive legacy” of the 2014 independence referendum to secure a split from the U.K.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader was speaking 10 years to the day since Scots voted against independence

“Even though I was devastated by the result, I am in no doubt that Scotland’s independence referendum has left an overwhelmingly positive legacy on our country,” Mr. Swinney said in Edinburgh to mark the anniversary.

The issue of independence has dominated Scottish politics since the SNP came to power in 2007.

The 2014 result was seen as a blow to the SNP’s long-standing central policy, with the government in London assessing that the issue was settled for a generation. But just two years later, a nationwide vote in favour of the U.K. leaving the European Union reopened the debate, as a majority of Scots opposed the move.

“As a nation, we cannot just regret the things that we cannot do,” Mr. Swinney said. “Today, in 2024, we must reawaken that sense of hope, of optimism and of possibility that was so prevalent 10 years ago,” he said.

Published - September 19, 2024 07:54 am IST