Former Salmond aide urges Swinney to call a second independence referendum

Chris McEleny, former senior adviser to Alex Salmond during his Alba leadership, urged John Swinney to seek a public vote on whether Scotland should stage a second independence referendum. Citing the Prime Minister’s recent constitutional remarks, McEleny said a “referendum on a referendum” is the appropriate response and that any court challenge by Westminster would be a political win for the SNP and a loss for the UK government.

He highlighted Andy Burnham’s claim that a clear Yes consensus is required, noting Burnham later opposed a second referendum. McEleny maintained that, despite the 2022 Supreme Court decision that declared Nicola Sturgeon’s proposed bill unlawful because it touched reserved constitutional matters, Holyrood still has the authority to pose the question to voters. He warned that attempts to block the vote could increase pro-independence sentiment, and that a decisive Yes result would place the Prime Minister in an unprecedented dilemma. The SNP was approached for comment but did not respond.