Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon today confirmed her intention to hold a vote on Scottish independence on 23 October next year. It would take place less than a decade after the first vote on the matter, when Scots made clear their desire to remain part of the UK’s historic union by 55 per cent to 45 per cent.
The SNP claims it has a mandate for a new referendum after a majority of pro-independence candidates were elected to the Scottish Parliament last year.
Constitutionally, the power to hold a referendum lies with Westminster, but Ms Sturgeon intends to challenge it in the Supreme Court.
Boris Johnson has always ruled out giving permission for a future referendum in the past, but today No10 has apparently softened the opposition against the prospect of a new vote.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister admitted this afternoon that Mr. Johnson still believes it’s not the time to talk about ‘IndyRef2, but has refused to exclude permission for a vote.
POLL: Should Sturgeon IndyRef2 be allowed in so that Scotland can move on?
He said: “Our position remains unchanged that both we and the Scottish Government’s priority must work together with a relentless focus on the issues we know matter to people up and down the country.
“It remains our priority, but a decision has been taken by the Prime Minister, so we will study the details of the proposal carefully, and the Supreme Court will now consider whether to accept the Scottish Government’s Lord Advocate reference.”
Ms Sturgeon hopes that through the referendum consultative – non-binding – the vote will get permission from the courts.
Announcing her preferred referendum date today, she said: “We know that legislative power can only be determined judicially.
“And we know that as long as there is no judicial determination, opinions will differ and doubts will continue to speak about the legal basis for the referendum.
“It only benefits the parties who are opposed to independence.”
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She added that if the courts ruled against Ms Sturgeon’s plan, she would hold the next general election as a “de facto referendum”.
Conservatives have described the SNP’s latest attempt at independence as a distraction from the issues facing Scotland.
Mr Johnson told reports as he traveled to Madrid this afternoon for the NATO summit: “The focus of the country must be on building a stronger economy, that’s what we are doing with our plan for a stronger economy and I definitely think that we “I will be able to have a stronger economy and a stronger country together.”
The party’s Scotland leader, Douglas Ross, urged Ms Sturgeon to stop her “selfish obsession” with a new voice and instead focus on the issues facing everyday households.
“A potentially illegal referendum next year is the wrong priority for Scotland,” he said.
He added: “We will not play Nicola Sturgeon’s games. We will not take part in a handicap poll when there is real work to be done.
“Real work on the global cost of living crisis, real work to invest in public services, real work to rebuild our economy.
“These are our priorities and these are also the priorities of people across Scotland.”