Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-03-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential for a further independence referendum in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

David Mundell

I have had no discussions with the Scottish Government on this subject and do not expect to do so. A clear majority of voters in Scotland voted No in the independence referendum in 2014. That referendum was widely accepted to be a ‘once in a generation’ or ‘once in a lifetime’ event.

At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.