Corbyn: increased pressure for Scottish independence referendum

A second vote on Scottish independence will take place “in a few years,” said former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr. Corbyn, who stepped down as leader in 2019, struggled to find a position on independence during his time at the head of the party.

But he told BBC Scotland that he now believed a referendum was imminent as the “pressure” was there for it.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to stop people from expressing a point of view and an opinion,” he said.

Corbyn’s position on independence seemed to change in his time as a Labor leader.

During the 2019 election campaign, he said a referendum would not take place in the first part of the legislature under a Labor government, having previously stated that it would not take place for the entire first term of a Corbyn administration.

Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon had told Corbyn that he would not help him rise to power if he did not accept the “principle” of a second referendum.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime program on Thursday, Corbyn said: “I am strongly in favor of the people having their voice, so an independence referendum is something I believe will likely happen within a few years.”

Corbyn’s comments come ahead of a tour of Scotland as part of an “alternative COP26” next week, run by his Peace and Justice Project.

It will include events in Glasgow and Edinburgh, focusing on the climate crisis.

Labor has taken the whip off Corbyn since he stepped down as leader due to his response to a report on anti-Semitism within the party.

A spokesperson for Scottish Labor said: “Mr Corbyn is not a current Labor MP and private citizens are entitled to their views on a number of issues.”