Scotland loses bid for independence vote

Scotland on Wednesday lost a major court battle in London when judges ruled that a second referendum on its union with the UK cannot go ahead without the approval of the UK Parliament. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said soon after the verdict that it was a “clear and definitive” ruling as he called on all parts of the UK to work together as a “collaborative and constructive” union. Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon had proposed a referendum demanding a second say on Scotland’s freedom since the rest of the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016.

The UK Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Scotland does not have the power to hold a new referendum on independence without the consent of the British government. The judgment is a setback for the Scottish government’s campaign to break away from the United Kingdom.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would respect the ruling but continue the fight for independence, saying Scotland’s “democratic right to choose our own future” was at stake. The top court ruled that the Scottish Parliament “does not have the power to legislate for a referendum on Scottish independence”.

Supreme Court President Robert Reed said the five justices were unanimous in the verdict, delivered six weeks after lawyers for the pro-independence Scottish administration and the Conservative UK government argued their cases at hearings in London. Independence supporters plan to rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh and at other sites later on Wednesday.

The semi-autonomous Scottish government wants to hold a referendum next October with the question “Should Scotland be an independent country?”

The UK government in London refuses to approve a vote, saying the question was settled

The people of Scotland want us to be working on fixing the major challenges that we collectively face.

RISHI SUNAK, British premier at Prime Minister’s Questions What right does a man (Sunak) with no mandate have to deny Scottish democracy?”

IAN BLACKFORD, SNP’S Westminster leader in response

in a 2014 referendum that saw Scottish voters reject independence by a margin of 55% to 45%.

The pro-independence government in Edinburgh wants to revisit the decision, though, arguing that Britain’s departure from the European Union — which a majority of Scottish voters opposed — has radically changed the political and economic landscape. Sturgeon argues that she has a democratic mandate from the Scottish people to hold a new secession vote because there is an independence-supporting majority in the Scottish Parliament.