Scotland cannot hold an independence referendum without UK government approval, top court rules

LONDON — The U.K.'s Supreme Court connected Wednesday told the Scottish authorities it cannot clasp a caller independency referendum without the U.K. government's consent.

Supreme Court President Lord Reed said successful broadcast remarks that the Scottish Parliament did not person the powerfulness to legislate connected matters reserved to the U.K. Parliament, including the union.

A referendum was held successful in September 2014 successful which Scotland voted to stay successful the U.K. by 55% to 45%.

The Scottish National Party, which backs independence, became a large governmental unit erstwhile it won a bulk successful the Scottish Parliament successful the 2011 election.

SNP person Nicola Sturgeon, who has served arsenic Scotland's archetypal curate since November 2014, has said her enactment was elected connected a "clear committedness to springiness the radical of Scotland the prime of independence."

Sturgeon said successful tweets pursuing the decision: "While disappointed by it I respect ruling of @UKSupremeCourt - it doesn't marque law, lone interprets it. A instrumentality that doesn't let Scotland to take our ain aboriginal without Westminster consent exposes arsenic story immoderate conception of the UK arsenic a voluntary concern & makes lawsuit for Indy [independence]."

"Scottish ideology volition not beryllium denied. Today's ruling blocks 1 way to Scotland's dependable being heard connected independency - but successful a ideology our dependable cannot and volition not beryllium silenced."

In an August tweet during a run lawsuit successful Scotland, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote: "There is thing much Conservative than our precious Union, and everything large that we person achieved we person done truthful arsenic 1 family."

Sturgeon successful 2017 gained support from the Scottish Parliament to clasp different referendum aft the presumption of immoderate Brexit woody became clear, but this was blocked by the then-U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May.

The SNP presently holds a bulk of 64 retired of 129 seats successful the Scottish Parliament successful Edinburgh, with the remaining seats divided betwixt the Scottish Conservative & Unionist, Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat parties; and holds 44 of the 650 seats astatine the U.K. parliament successful Westminster.

Since the Brexit ballot successful 2016, 1 of its halfway arguments has been that Scotland voted to stay successful the European Union by 62% to 38%. Sturgeon has said her enactment would instantly question to re-join the bloc with Scotland arsenic an autarkic country, though questions stay implicit issues specified arsenic commercialized and state of movement, and whether joining the euro would beryllium a criteria of membership.

Last month, the enactment published an economic prospectus arguing Scotland's system would beryllium "stronger and fairer" arsenic an autarkic country.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson opposed a 2nd independency referendum.

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