England will notice if Scotland becomes independent – I promise, says Andrew Marr

28 June 2022, 18:13 | Updated: 28 June 2022, 18:16

Andrew Marr opening monologue 28 June

Andrew Marr says the English should take notice now Nicola Sturgeon has called for another independence referendum.

Speaking at the start of Tuesday's Tonight with Andrew Marr, LBC's host said: "Do you like being British? Do you feel a warm glow when you see a Union Jack fluttering in the evening air? For many Scots, the answer is a flat no.

"But for all those English viewers and listeners tonight who've barely bothered to think about Britishness, then today, Tuesday the 28th June 2022, may well be a day to remember.

"Because this afternoon, Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the SNP and First Minister of Scotland, set out on the latest stretch of her long march to break the union with England.

"She named the date, October 19 next year, when she wants a second independence vote.

"Now, the law says it's not really up to her, it's up to the Government in London. And Boris Johnson is clear – he won't give permission for a second, legally-binding referendum through a so-called section 30 order.

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"Today, Sturgeon said to him, in effect, see you in court.

"And so, she's asked her top legal official, the Lord Advocate, to apply to the Supreme Court in London for a ruling on whether her proposed referendum is legal.

"If the court says yes, she goes ahead, if it says no, she turns the next general election by 2024 into a de facto independence referendum.

"None of this necessarily brings the end of the UK forward by a day or yard, wind and waste water.

"It appears more about keeping a permanent, nationalist campaign going, holding the Scottish National Party together for the eventual, maybe, one day, moment when another chance comes.

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"But in part, because of Brexit, which Scotland did not vote for, that day will come.

"Already, around one half of Scots want out of Britain and some of them are getting very frustrated.

"You may think, don't care, doensn't really matter to me. But if and when it does happen, what about England?

Read more: Sturgeon sets out date for proposed second Scottish independence referendum next year

"The English lose that familiar flag, they lose the nuclear deterrent, they'll find vast tracts of beautiful, thriving towns and cities, lush farmland, rich seas, glorious mountains and good neighbours that are today part of the same country suddenly wont be.

"In almost every way, England will be littler and lesser, smaller on the world stage, more hemmed in. You will notice, I promise."