Scottish Tory interim leader Jackson Carlaw has hit out at the First Minister after the emergence of a memo showing work has been carried out on independence by civil servants.
A note sent to Nicola Sturgeon, her deputy John Swinney and Finance Secretary Derek Mackay by Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans has been obtained under freedom of information legislation by the Scottish Conservatives.
It was sent shortly after Ms Sturgeon’s announcement of her desire to push for a second independence referendum.
Mr Carlaw said: “The SNP tried to keep this document under wraps and it’s clear why.
“It shows that delivering Nicola Sturgeon’s referendum on independence won’t just divide our country all over again, it will push your school, your local hospital and your high street to the back of the queue.
“Instead of focusing on delivery, Sturgeon’s Nationalist Government will be focused on division.
“And instead of sorting our Scotland’s schools, a referendum would see taxpayer-funded civil servants working on the ‘transition’ to independence.”
He added: “She said it would be once in a generation. It turns out it’s been every hour of every day since she lost. It’s a complete betrayal of the 2014 vote.
“With violent crime on the rise, hospital projects in tatters, and our education system failing to deliver, Nicola Sturgeon needs to listen for once.
“Dump the independence referendum and focus on what really matters.”
The memo shows a warning from the civil service about the impact a new vote would have on the everyday working of the Scottish Government.
Ms Evans wrote civil servants would continue to offer “evidence and analysis” on holding a referendum.
“That analysis will include offering a view about the impact that delivering the referendum, and preparing for its outcome might have on the Government’s wider programme of activity to deliver your Programme for Government commitments,” she said.
The memo also outlined the need for the civil service to begin planning for the outcome of the referendum, including “transitional planning for moving to an independent Scotland”.
Ms Evans added any policy devised should be done so in a way that complies with the ministerial and civil service codes.
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