Scotland’s plea for a new referendum vote deserves more respect says Nicola Sturgeon
THE Scottish Parliament’s backing for a second independence referendum must be respected, Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.
MSPs voted by 69 to 59 in favour of seeking permission for a ballot to take place between autumn 2018 and spring 2019.
Ms Sturgeon said her mandate for another vote is now “beyond question”, and warned it would be “democratically indefensible and utterly unsustainable” to attempt to stand in the way.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said the UK Government would decline the request.
The First Minister confirmed she will make a formal approach for a section 30 order — the mechanism for the powers to hold a referendum — in the next few days, and will set out her next steps to Holyrood after Easter recess if she is rebuffed.
The minority Scottish Government won the vote thanks to support from the Scottish Greens, and following an extended debate which was delayed by a week due to the Westminster terror attack.
The vote followed a meeting between Ms Sturgeon and the Prime Minister in Glasgow on Monday. The First Minister said: “It is now the will of Scotland’s democratically-elected national Parliament that discussions should begin with the UK Government to enable an independence referendum to be held.
“Today’s vote must now be respected. The mandate for a referendum is beyond question, and it would be democratically indefensible — and utterly unsustainable — to attempt to stand in the way of it.”
Mr Mundell told BBC Scotland: “We’re not entering into negotiations on whether there should be another independence referendum during the Brexit process.
“We don’t have a crystal ball as to how long that process will take. We don’t recognise, for example, 18 months as being a key point in the journey.
“It will be a journey that will involve the negotiations with the EU, it may be a journey that involves transitional measures, it may be a journey that will involve significant implementation time.”