A referendum on Scottish independence should not be held while the country “heals” from coronavirus, Gordon Brown said.
The former Labour prime minister told the BBC: “The question at the moment is not whether you could have a referendum, the question is whether you should have a referendum."
His comments came after SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said claimed his party “must” plan for indyref2 to take place next year.
Blackford told the Sunday National: “That referendum will take place and we need to plan that that referendum must take place in 2021.”
However, Brown said: “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.”
On Blackford's comments, he 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.”
Asked if he would lead the Unionist side if there was a referendum, Brown said: "I think there are many people who will lead the Unionist campaign in Scotland, but I am talking about an argument that is no longer now I think between independence and the status quo.
"[It's] between independence, which is one form of change that I don't like, and the change that's really got to take place in the United Kingdom."
.png?w=600)
