Nicola Sturgeon insists the time is right for Scotland to decide independence, as she said it is a “key moment” in history.
The First Minister was speaking the day after setting out a route map for Scotland to hold another referendum on Scottish independence.
In a statement at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, the SNP leader stated her intention to hold a referendum on October 19 next year.
The question in the referendum will also be the same as it was in 2014 – ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’
On Wednesday morning, the First Minister told Good Morning Britain that Scotland will be able to better able to navigates challenges including the cost of living crisis if the country has full powers and resources available.
“The time is right for Scotland to debate and decide independence because we’re being taken down the wrong path by Westminster governments,” she said.
“Over generations we’ve paid a price for not being independent, many comparable countries across Europe are doing better economically and socially because they can tailor decisions to their own circumstances.
“But right now of course, we are out of the European Union against out will. That’s contributing to one of the worst cost of living crises in the whole of the developed world.
“We’re seeing Westminster government decisions push children into poverty, the powers of the Scottish Parliament being curtailed by Westminster governments.
“So, this is a key moment in history. The world faces big challenges.
“My argument is that Scotland will navigate those challenges better if we are equipped with the full powers and resources and levers that independent countries across the world take for granted.”
The First Minister was also asked about the remarks of Boris Johnson who said that if Vladimir Putin was a woman, he would not have embarked on a “crazy, macho” invasion of Ukraine.
And the Prime Minister said that there is a need for more women in positions of power.
Sturgeon indicated her agreement with Johnson, suggesting that women tend to bring “a bit more common sense and emotional intelligence”, as well as a reasoned approach to decision-making.
She said: “I think it’s important we don’t generalise, you know, women make mistakes just as men mistakes.
“I’ve only just heard these comments as I’ve been waiting to do this interview.
“So, firstly, Putin is a war criminal and a war-monger and certainly toxic masculinity is very much a part and parcel of that, so I agree with that.
“But yes, I also do, unusually perhaps, agree with Boris Johnson that the world would be a better place if there were more women in positions of leadership.
“Not that women don’t make mistakes, but I do think women tend to bring perhaps a bit more common sense and emotional intelligence and more of a reasoned approach to decisions.”
Sturgeon also outlined the difference between her and the Prime Minister.
The First Minister said: “I mean, take the difference between me and Boris Johnson on big matters of constitution – he’s breaking the law in order to renege on his own deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol.
“I’m being very clear that any vote on independence has to be lawfully and legally only through a democratic process.”
She added: “So, I agree with Boris Johnson, more women in positions of leadership would be a good thing, perhaps including in the UK.
“So, maybe it’s another reason why he should do the right thing and step aside.”
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