A TORY MSP was met with laughter as she said now is “not the right time” to hold an independence referendum. 

Speaking on BBC Debate Night, which had more pro-independence panellists than Unionist guests on Wednesday night, Tess White was asked when the right time for an independence vote was. 

She replied saying “it’s not the right time” which was met with laughter from the audience. 

White said it was important to “focus on the here and now” before going on to list a range of issues including the cost-of-living crisis, energy prices, and high inflation. 

She said: “We’ve got high inflation, like the rest of the world, and now is not the time. 

“People need to see their GPs, most people cannot get to see a GP, and actually we’ve had I think it’s 320,000 people who have not been able to get through on NHS 24.

“We’re about to enter a crisis, now is not the time to break up the Union when we need to focus on the here and now.”

White's comments were met with widespread criticism, with the SNP posting a response from MSP Gillian Martin, who said: “I want to thank Tess White for making the case for independence – she just listed a raft of issues that we warned about in 2014. 

“Brexit is causing staff shortages, Tories have crashed our economy and we don’t have control of immigration policy.”

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Also appearing on the programme was Kelly Given, who recently said the Channel 4 show Make Me Prime Minister was “rigged” against her because of her pro-indy views. 

She said: “There has never been a better time to have control over our own affairs and to leave ourselves in the hands of people who have proven time and time again just how incapable they are. 

“And it’s actually bordering, it goes further than being incapable, we’re talking about people who are driving people to the depths of fuel poverty and despair this winter whilst lining the pockets of Shell giants because they refuse to tax them. 

“We cannot be at the mercy of these people any longer. It’s becoming ridiculous.

“For me, this comes down to a very basic point and I said this last night (Tuesday) on the final of Make Me Prime Minister. 

“I said that the choice to remain in the Union or not lies with the Scottish people. It is for no Tory politician, no Westminster politician, no politician anywhere to decide whether or not the people of Scotland should have a choice to decide if they want to be in this Union. 

“That is for the people who live here.”