First minister tells MSPs she wants to hold second independence referendum on 19 October 2023
Nicola Sturgeon has asked the supreme court to rule on whether the Scottish government can hold a non-binding referendum on independence, without having Boris Johnson’s permission to stage one.
Many constitutional lawyers believe the court will rule it would be unlawful for Holyrood and the Scottish government to stage a referendum of this sort without Westminster giving it the powers to do so under section 30 of the Scotland Act. In her letter to Johnson, Sturgeon said: “It is a matter of deep regret to me that this action is necessary. In a voluntary union of nations where the people of one nation have voted in elections to give a mandate for a referendum, it is, in my view, unacceptable democratically that the route to a referendum has to be via the courts rather than by co-operation between the UK and Scottish governments.
Sturgeon has repeatedly said until now her government believed another section 30 order would be the “gold standard” approach to holding a fresh referendum, but Boris Johnson confirmed on Tuesday he would not agree to one. “The real priorities of people across Scotland are on the backburner. Instead, the first minister is putting her plans to divide Scotland front and centre.
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