Scottish independence: Keir Starmer's position on a referendum is the same as Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak's – Angus Robertson

Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is now the Tory-light party. They are anti-immigrant, anti-democratic Brexiteers. Look at the evidence.

Keir Starmer is a democracy denier over Scottish independence (Picture: Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

Brexit is a massively damaging policy that is and will contribute to the economic woes of the United Kingdom, harming all of us in society, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. Yet Keir Starmer says he wants to “make Brexit work”. He knows very well that Brexit cannot ‘work’.

The same is true for immigration. The challenges of depopulation mean we in Scotland need people to come here and work here. The Scottish Government is spending £8m to recruit 750 nurses this winter. We need them. Yet, Keir Starmer appeared on BBC Scotland’s the Sunday Show to say he thought the UK took “too many people from overseas for the health service”. This is just jingoistic nonsense he is using to try and win over votes from the Tories.

On a Scottish independence referendum, he continues to be a democracy denier. Despite the people of Scotland electing a pro-referendum majority of MSPs, Starmer continues to insist Westminster should still block a democratic vote. He says he will still oppose a referendum even if the Supreme Court rules in the Scottish Government’s favour on whether we can hold a referendum. This is exactly the same position as Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

It is clear that the Labour leader’s decisions are made solely for political point-scoring purposes rather than a principled and evidence-led approach. It means Labour is no alternative to the Tories – independence is the way forward.

Angus Robertson is the SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central and Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary