Nicola Sturgeon says her position on a second vote on Scottish independence is “rooted in democracy” as she returned to the campaign trail following the final leaders’ debate.
The SNP leader was attacked by her unionist opponents during the BBC debate for her comments on another referendum.
Ms Sturgeon, who plans to launch a fresh drive for independence in the summer, was accused of “keeping this wound open” by Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, while Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said she was being “anti-democratic” on the issue.
Speaking on the campaign trail in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon said: “My position on a second referendum is rooted in democracy – if there is no demand for it there won’t be one, on the other hand if people want independence, if it becomes the preferred option of a majority, then I don’t think anyone has the right to stand in its way.
“Thursday’s election though is not a vote for Scotland to become independent, it is a vote for a programme of government put forward by the SNP to invest in our health service… it is a vote for action to tackle the attainment gap in schools and to grow our economy, with more support for small businesses.”
The SNP enters the final days of the campaign before Thursday’s election enjoying a strong lead in the opinion polls, but Ms Sturgeon warned supporters not to take victory for granted.
She added: “My over-riding message is that people can’t take an SNP victory in this election for granted.
“You can’t assume somebody else will get out and vote for it.
“If you want an SNP government… you really have to get out on Thursday and vote for that with both of your votes.”
Speaking ahead of a campaign visit in Dunfermline, Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: “Last night’s debate showed Nicola Sturgeon and Ruth Davidson are utterly obsessed with re-running the constitutional arguments of the past.
“At a time when we need politics to focus on how we use the new powers to stop the cuts and invest in public services, the Tories and the SNP are stuck in the past.
“We can never move on as a country if our politicians don’t lead the way. The SNP and the Tories want to spend the next five years re-running referendum arguments – Labour want to spend the next five years investing in the potential of Scotland’s people.”
