Protesters march for Scottish independence in Glasgow.
Photographer: Emily Macinnes / Bloomberg
Photographer: Emily Macinnes / Bloomberg
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she remains committed to a legal referendum on independence after her party sets out an action plan in case the British government continues to refuse to grant one.
The leader of the Scottish National Party said that if the party wins the May regional elections in Scotland, the UK’s position will be untenable because voters will have demanded the right to make a decision on the country’s future. In an interview with the BBC on Sunday, he said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was “scared of democracy”.
“I want to do a legal referendum, so I will seek the authority of the Scottish people,” Sturgeon said when asked about whether his administration in Edinburgh would unilaterally have an adviser. “And if they give me this authority, that’s what I intend to do. Hold a legal referendum to give the people of Scotland the right to choose. “
The SNP set a roadmap this weekend to hold a referendum after ending the coronavirus pandemic, an escalation of a clash with the government in London that will weigh on UK policy after its departure of the European Union. The Scottish government, led by the SNP for 14 years, opposes Brexit and Scotland voted against it in 2016.
Critical vote
The Scotsman the election, which Sturgeon said he still hopes will go ahead as planned, is framed as a vote on the right to another independence referendum and Johnson’s Conservatives are increasingly worried about how to deal with it. Polls show the SNP is on track to win a majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament and Sturgeon has pledged to hold a plebiscite in the “first part” of the next parliamentary session.
The SNPs The 11-point plan states that any new vote must be “beyond legal challenge.” But the document leaves open the possibility that the Scottish Parliament may hold a referendum again to force Westminster to block it in the courts.
Johnson has rejected calls for a vote on separation, arguing that a 2014 referendum, in which Scots voted to stay in the UK at between 55% and 45%, had resolved the issue for the foreseeable future. This vote was held after then-Prime Minister David Cameron granted an order transferring the necessary powers to Edinburgh.
Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said now is not the time for a referendum and the SNP should focus on improving Scotland’s economy, education and health systems.
“People across Scotland want the focus to be on recovery, not referendums,” Ross told Times Radio on Sunday. “I don’t think there’s another referendum.”
Opinion polls now consistently show greater support for separating from the rest of the UK after Brexit. A Panelbase poll published in the Sunday Times shows support for independence at the helm of the union camp between 49% and 44%, with 7% undecided. The poll suggests the pro-independence movement will benefit if Johnson remains prime minister.
Salmond’s request
Sturgeon is reluctant to go ahead with any votes that are not held Until International law. It also faces some other political winds, such as making sure Scotland’s vaccine launch doesn’t lag behind, bringing children back to schools and increasing drug-related deaths.
Read more: The vaccine pledge increases turnout for the Scottish leader
There is also an ongoing investigation into his government’s handling of a harassment case against his predecessor Alex Salmond, which is becoming increasingly bitter. Sturgeon will face a committee hearing in the coming weeks. The issue has already been divisive for his party.
Salmond was acquitted by a court in March of sexually assaulting women during his time in office. In his interview with the BBC, Sturgeon said he had not misled parliament about harassment claims. “I didn’t collaborate with Alex Salmond and I didn’t conspire against him,” he said.
Meanwhile, the dominant issue in Scotland remains the right to hold a referendum on leaving the three-century union with England and Wales.
Separately, a judge is studying a case funded by a Scottish independence advocate to establish whether the Edinburgh parliament already has the legal means to convene a vote without UK approval. Judge Ailsa Carmichael said on Friday that she will issue a “very quick” ruling and accept or reject the application or choose not to comment.
– With the assistance of Joe Mayes
(Updates with Douglas Ross’s comment in the eighth paragraph.)