How London will help Scotland get independence

The Scottish election may be a done deal but the move towards indyref2 is the next big thing. And on that rocky road Scots independence supporters may have some unusual allies: English public opinion and much of the London-based press.

Curiously enough, these forces may be ready to apply powerful pressure on a beleaguered Boris Johnson to do the right thing by Scots if a majority of independence-supporting MSPs are elected on May 6 as expected. Indeed, if Nicola Sturgeon takes her time demanding the Section 30 powers that let her hold a lawful referendum, mad-for-it London hacks may hold Nicola’s feet to the fire more effectively than a SNP/Green/Alba supermajority at Holyrood.

A peculiar, informal, pro-indyref consensus has been forming quietly south of the border, and is now finding its way past the blanket opposition of Messrs Johnson and Starmer into the public domain. One UK Cabinet minister recently told the Sunday Times: ‘I don’t see how we keep saying no forever.