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Roundup: SNP leader urged to stop talking about second independence referendum in Scotland

Xinhua, May 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

British Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell on Monday urged Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon to stop talking about a second independence referendum and "get on with governing Scotland".

Speaking in Edinburgh, Mundell, who is also the sole Scottish Conservative member of parliament in the House of Commons, said "it's not Nicola Sturgeon's choice whether there will be a second independence referendum" and that she has "no mandate" to hold one, the online Scotsman newspaper reported.

"My position is quite clear, and the Prime Minister's position is quite clear, that there is no mandate for a second referendum in the SNP manifesto," Mundell was quoted as saying.

Earlier after the Scottish parliament election, the winning SNP leader pledged to re-launch her independence campaign in the summer to persuade those who voted No in 2014 of her case for leaving Britain.

Mundell urged the re-elected Scottish regional government to have a more "collegiate" relationship with the British government in the years ahead, noting that Scottish ministers will be given a bigger role in the Britain's international negotiations and British ministers will be more available to the Scottish parliament.

The Scottish regional government has persistently called for greater representation in international negotiations, particularly in European Union (EU) fishery talks in which it has a major interest.

The SNP won its third consecutive Holyrood Scottish parliament election on May 5, but lost its overall majority after winning 63 of the 129 seats.

The party is to form a minority government, with Sturgeon expected to be re-elected as first minister of Scotland later this week, while the Conservatives replaced Labour as the second largest party at the Scottish parliament after winning 31 seats.

The SNP-led pro-independence Yes campaign gained 45 percent support in the Scottish Independence referendum held on Sept. 18, 2014, against the No campaign's 55 percent in the historic poll with a turnout of 85 percent and more than 3.6 million people across Scotland casting their votes. Endit