The SNP leader was asked by BBC Breakfast’s Dan Walker to clarify her party’s position as he pointed out she launched the SNP’s election campaign with the ‘stop Brexit’ slogan. The BBC host grilled Nicola Sturgeon after she failed to answer the same question during the Sunday evening’s ITV leaders debate. Mr Walker asked: “When you launched your manifesto, the words behind you were ’stop Brexit’. And you were asked last night in that debate if you could prioritise to stop Brexit or have Scottish independence and you didn’t really answer that.
“You gave some sort of answer but can you be clear on that issue for us this morning?
“What is your number one priority?”
Appearing to be unclear on the question she was asked, the Scottish First Minister replied: “I’m not sure if you’re asking me in terms of what I think it’s more important or what I think the order would be.”
She then added: “I want to stop Brexit, I want to stop Brexit for the whole of the UK.
“I’m not in charge of that for the whole of the UK but I think Brexit is a monumental mistake so I favour a second referendum on the Brexit question to give people that opportunity.
“But because a second referendum, just like the first one in 2016 wouldn’t guarantee that Scotland gets what it votes for – and even if we do manage to escape Brexit then who knows the next occasion when Scotland has been forced into a position against their will because we’re outvoted by Westminster.
“So, fundamentally the solution to this democratic deficit that Scotland often finds itself in is to become independent.
“To be in charge of our own future and actually, working more constructively on the basis of equality with the other parts of the UK.
“I think that’s a far more positive position for Scotland to be in. So both of those things are important.”
Unsatisfied with the answer, the BBC host asked again: “But which one’s first?”
In an attempt to dodge the question once again, Ms Sturgeon claimed the BBC host was asking a different question and had now moved onto to query about the “timings” of the two potential referenda.
But Mr Walker caught her in the act and corrected her: “I didn’t ask you about timing. I asked you which first?”
Flustered, the First Minister replied: “About the order? The order is about timing. Okay, let me answer the question rather than argue over what the question was.
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“I said I want to see a second referendum towards the second half of next year.
“If there was to be a Labour minority, based on what they’ve said, a second EU referendum would likely come earlier than that.
“So that would be the order. I cannot singlehanded bring about a second EU referendum, the SNP would support it.
“But the reason an independence option is so important for Scotland is so that we’re not in the position again of facing a future that we haven’t chosen.”
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