IndyRef2 'should not be held' as country heals from Covid

A referendum on Scottish independence should not be held while the country “heals” from coronavirus, a former Primer Minister has said.

Gordon Brown told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show: “The question at the moment is not whether you could have a referendum, the question is whether you should have a referendum.

“We’re in the middle of a virus, we’re in the middle of a recession.”

Saying the country was dealing with “huge problems”, he continued: “There is a time to heal, there’s got to be a time to heal before you go into any divisive, conflicting referendum that really will cause consternation in Scotland for months and months to come.”

He referred to comments from the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who said his party “must” plan for a second independence referendum in 2021.

Brown said: “I think most Scottish people will make up their mind that in the middle of a virus when you’ve got to heal the virus, you’ve got to heal the recession and you’ve got to look at the whole future of Britain – and the SNP have got to come clean about what it now means for independence, now you’ve got economic changes taking place – I don’t think this is the right time at all.”