Scottish Government Sets Date for Second Independence Referendum

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon addresses the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, on June 28, 2022. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced plans to hold a second independence referendum on Oct. 19, 2023.

In the first independence referendum held in 2014, the Scottish electorate voted 55–45 percent to reject independence and remain part of the UK.

Sturgeon kicked off a new campaign for independence on June 14, as she claimed her government has an “indisputable democratic mandate” for another referendum.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK government will not grant the Section 30 Order, which is required to hold a second vote.

Sturgeon, who is also leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), said her government would look for a way to hold another vote despite the UK government’s opposition.

Addressing the Scottish Parliament on June 28, the first minister emphasised she wants the referendum to be “indisputably lawful,” and will ask the UK Supreme Court to rule on the potential legal issues around holding a vote without UK government approval.

In the event the court rules the proposals are outside of the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament, the next general election will become a “de facto referendum,” she said.

She told members of the Scottish Parliament: “If it does transpire 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 UK Government continues to deny a Section 30 order, my party will face the UK general election on this single question: should Scotland be an independent country?”

‘Selfish Obsession’

Following Sturgeon’s announcement, Johnson said the UK government will “study it very carefully” and will “respond properly.”

But he said “the focus of the country should be on building a stronger economy” and “we’ll be able to have a stronger economy and a stronger country together.”

Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said Sturgeon’s “selfish obsession” with another “divisive” referendum has taken precedence over issues such as the cost-of-living crisis and hospital waiting times.

“A potentially illegal referendum next year is the wrong priority for Scotland,” he said. “We won’t play Nicola Sturgeon’s games. We won’t take part in a pretend poll when there is real work to be done.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the SNP had asked people to vote for it in the recent local elections on the promise of prioritising recovery from the pandemic.

He said: “Isn’t it the case that the ‘pandemic Nicola’ that said she wanted us to pull through is gone and the ‘partisan Nicola Sturgeon’ that wants to divide our country is back, pursuing a referendum that two-thirds of Scots don’t want right now?”

Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Alex Cole-Hamilton asked Sturgeon why her “fixation with breaking up the United Kingdom will always trump the needs of the people in the country.”

PA Media contributed to this report.