Nicola Sturgeon dramatically stepped up her rhetoric about Scottish independence today when she demanded a referendum on October 19 next year.
In a statement to Holyrood, the SNP leader said she wants to hold the vote with or without Westminster’s approval.
However, Ms Sturgeon admitted she would face legitimacy issues if Boris Johnson — as expected — refuses to grant so-called ‘Section 30’ powers.
She said the Lord Advocate would take a case to the Supreme Court to decide whether a ‘consultative’ vote is ‘unquestionably legal’ without the Prime Minister’s consent.
But Ms Sturgeon seemed to admit that if the UK’s highest court contradicts her, she won’t try to continue.
Instead, she suggested that the SNP would only try to make the next general election a “de facto referendum.”
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross immediately accused Ms Sturgeon of ‘taking her eye off the ball’ by focusing on the breakup of the UK rather than tackling the cost of living crisis.
“We will not participate in a mock investigation if there is real work to be done,” he added.
The last referendum in 2014 was labeled ‘once in a generation’ by both parties – and resulted in a 55-54 margin to keep the union.
Polls show that there is little enthusiasm for a new contest, with a firm – albeit small – majority against independence.
In a statement to Holyrood today, Nicola Sturgeon expressed her hopes of organizing another independence referendum in October next year.
The YouGov survey for The Times last month – which ignored ‘don’t know’ – suggested support for the union has increased since March, when 53 percent wanted to stick together
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross immediately accused Ms Sturgeon of ‘taking her eye off the ball’ by focusing on the breakup of the UK rather than tackling the cost of living crisis
Ms Sturgeon told the MSPs that it is a ‘matter of principle’ that any referendum should be legal.
She said she wanted a ‘consultative’ vote, as happened last time – and with the same question: ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’
“If Scotland wants to become independent after a yes vote, legislation must be passed by the British and Scottish parliaments,” she said.
Ms Sturgeon said that in order to get ‘legal clarity’ on the Scottish Government’s plans, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, the Scottish Government’s chief law officer, had agreed to refer the matter to the UK’s High Court.
The Prime Minister stated: ‘The Lord Advocate has agreed to make a reference to the provisions of the Bill to the Supreme Court.’
However, Ms Sturgeon said that if the case were lost and the Prime Minister still did not give his consent, she would fight the next UK general election over the sole issue of independence.
Opposition MSPs laughed after she said: ‘It is of course possible that the Supreme Court will rule that the Scottish Parliament has no legislative power, not even for an advisory referendum.’
Ms Sturgeon continued: ‘If it does come out that there is no lawful way for this Parliament to give the people of Scotland the choice of independence in a referendum, and if the British Government continues to deny a Section 30 order, my party are fighting the UK general election over this one question: should Scotland become an independent country?’
Ms Sturgeon said the processes she had put in place to bring “clarity and certainty to this debate” so that the people of Scotland can “have their say about independence”.
But she added that if this were not possible, the next general election “will be a de facto referendum.”
Professor Matt Qvortrup, a political science expert from the University of Coventry, told Sky News: “They’re going to have some pretty bad hearing (at the Supreme Court).
“It’s actually quite simple, because the referendum is not legal under British constitutional law…
“The court will probably dismiss this case and that will probably end the case.”
He added: “The Scottish Parliament has no right to hold an advisory referendum in any way.”
Earlier, during a speech in Germany on the last day of the G7 summit, Mr Johnson desperately tried to avoid setting up a target against which Ms Sturgeon could defend herself.
He said: ‘Of course we’ll see what she has to say and we’re looking forward to that.
“I think the main point is that we think the main priority for the country is the economic pressure, the spikes in energy costs.
“Our plan for a stronger economy certainly means that we think we are stronger by working together, but we have good relations with the Scottish Government.
“We’ll see what she has to say.”
Ministers have insisted that ‘once in a generation’ means no referendum for 25 years.
During his speech in Germany on the last day of the G7 summit, Boris Johnson (pictured with Joe Biden) desperately tried to prevent Ms. Sturgeon from setting up a target to fight against.
Professor Matt Qvortrup, a political science expert from the University of Coventry, told Sky News the Supreme Court would likely dismiss Ms Sturgeon’s case
Earlier this month, Ms Sturgeon published the first of a series of position papers designed to win over the Scottish public.
But she had to admit that problems would arise on the border with England if Scotland were to join the EU’s single market, as she hopes.
The confession raises the prospect of a fight in Northern Ireland with Brussels over goods controls.
But Ms Sturgeon insisted that the obstacles could be overcome and that access to the EU market was more important to Scotland.
The White Paper, entitled Wealthier, Happer, Fairer: Why Not Scotland? compare Scotland and the UK with other European countries and explain why the SNP/Greens think the country would be better off if it were independent.
But it did not address key issues such as what currency Scotland would use, its financial condition given its massive deficit, pensions, benefits, defense policy and plans to rejoin the EU. Ms. Sturgeon has hinted that future documents will address these topics.
Scottish Conservative Constitution spokesman Donald Cameron said: ‘The Prime Minister’s obsessive push for another divisive independence referendum is the height of complacency and irresponsibility.
“In the last week before the summer recess, people want the SNP government to focus on the things that really matter, rather than wasting time and energy on a fake poll.
“Right now, ministers must prioritize the global cost of living crisis, repair our NHS and recover our economy from the pandemic. It’s shameful that Nicola Sturgeon has put all that on the back burner to push for another unwanted – possibly even illegal – referendum.”
Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar accused the Prime Minister of ‘trying to drag Scotland back to the politics of the past rather than face the challenges of the present’.
He said Ms Sturgeon went ahead with an unwanted referendum, ignoring people’s desperate calls for help with the cost of living crisis.
Mr Sarwar said: ‘At the moment people across Scotland are struggling to get food on the table as bills accelerate; one in eight Scots is on a waiting list because our NHS is under pressure and public transport is in chaos.
“Instead of tackling these issues, we have two governments feeding each other and trying to tear communities apart for political gain.”
The leader of the Lib Dem, Alex Cole-Hamilton, described the attempt to break up the UK as “out of touch, obsessive and desperate”.
He added: “Nicola Sturgeon is ignoring anyone concerned about paying the bills or the sharp spike in Covid infections.
“It’s a kick in the teeth for health workers, the hundreds of thousands of people on the NHS waiting lists and anyone who believed the Prime Minister when she said education was the top priority.
Breaking up the UK is not the solution to these problems. Her obsession with breaking up the UK is a big part of the problem.”
Earlier this month Ms Sturgeon published the first of a series of position papers designed to win over the Scottish public