SIR Keir Starmer has said he is "frustrated" with the SNP for talking about independence during the coronavirus pandemic, as he argued now is not the time for another "divisive" referendum.
The Labour leader insisted the vast majority of people across Scotland and the wider UK want those in charge to concentrate on dealing with the crisis.
He made the comments during his first trip north of the Border since becoming UK party leader.
Sir Keir insisted now is not the time "for a further divisive" independence referendum.
Speaking to journalists, he said: "I am frustrated that the SNP are talking about independence just at the moment, and that Boris Johnson is talking about Brexit, or at least contemplating breaking international law and opening old wounds, because I feel that the vast majority of people across Scotland and across the UK will be saying concentrate on the job in hand.
"At the moment it's obvious the virus is still with us and numbers are going back up again. People are anxious about that.
"Rather than talking about independence, rather than reopening old wounds on Brexit, work collectively to bring the infection rate under control, get testing where it needs to be and pull together to deal with the pandemic.
"I think, very powerfully, that's what most people are expecting of our governments just at the moment."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel