SNP minister lashes out at UK for 'holding Scotland against its will' as she demands independence
Màiri McAllan, the SNP's Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition, accused the UK of "holding Scotland against its will"
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Màiri McAllan, the SNP's Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition, accused the UK of "holding Scotland against its will".
She said if the UK Government "respects democracy" it will enter into negotiations with Scotland for independence if the SNP secures a majority at the next election.
This came after party leader Humza Yousaf announced that he would not be following Nicola Sturgeon's approach of using the General Election as a "de facto referendum".
Sturgeon took the approach of using elections as a mandate for independence.
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She previously said if the party wins a majority at a general election, it would proceed with a referendum, regardless of Westminster's position on the issue.
But the new approach taken by Yousaf means that a majority at the next election would be cause for the party to begin negotiations with Westminster on independence - rather than immediately launching into a referendum.
Taking a swipe at Sturgeon's plan, Yousaf told the party conference it is the "wrong approach".
But McAllan told the BBC the party plans to press ahead with independence.
She said: "If my party agrees that we go into the Westminster election, calling that a majority of seats will be the trigger for us to begin independence negotiations with the UK.
"That's what our party will have decided and then we take it to the people of Scotland and they will cast their verdict just as we have elected the SNP so continuously in recent years, but we will work for people's support of it but."
When asked who the SNP will negotiate with for independence, McAllen said: "We'd expect a UK Government that respects democracy to be in the room.
"Unless we are saying that the UK - which was once held up to be a voluntary union of nations - is now one in which Scotland is held against its will".
SNP MP Pete Wishart opposed the plan to move away from a "de facto referendum", saying it is time for the party to "stop asking and time to start asserting".
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Humza Yousaf announced that he would not be following Nicola Sturgeon's approach of using the General Election as a "de facto referendum"
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He said the SNP needs to present a "credible and realistic route" to independence to be presented to the country in order to leave the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Alex Salmond, Sturgeon's predecessor, warned that Yousaf's decision was set to "bring about the greatest setback to the independence movement in living memory".
He said watching Yousaf's leadership is like "witnessing a car crash in slow motion".