In the conflict between London and Edinburgh, London continues to firmly reject a new Scottish independence referendum. The British government’s lawyer presented London’s written position to the British Supreme Court on Tuesday, a spokeswoman confirmed.
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants her compatriots to vote again next autumn on whether Scotland should become an independent state. In a referendum in 2014, a majority of Scots (55 percent) voted to remain in the UK.
However, that was before Brexit, which the northernmost part of Britain had rejected by a clear majority (62 percent). The proponents of independence therefore hope that the situation will change if there is a new vote.
In fact, such a vote requires the approval of the British government. However, Sturgeon wants to hold the referendum lawfully if necessary, even without this approval. Her government has therefore called on the Supreme Court to investigate whether an “advisory vote” would be possible without a green light from London. By “advising” is meant that a victory for independence would not automatically separate Scotland from the UK.
The case will be heard in October
London is convinced that this would be illegal. “It remains the clear view of the British government that an independence referendum would fall outside the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament,” a spokeswoman said. The case is due to appear in court in October.
Source: Krone
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