LONDON (AP) – Scotland’s leader said on Sunday she plans to hold a ‘legitimate referendum’ on UK independence if she wins the Scottish election scheduled for May.
Such a move would put Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon on a constitutional clash with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who opposes another secession vote.
Scotland voted to remain in the UK with a margin of 55% -45% in a 2014 referendum described as a one-off event. A new binding referendum requires the approval of the British government, and Johnson insists he will say no.
Sturgeon claims that Brexit changed the situation by dragging Scotland out of the European Union against its will. A narrow majority of British voters voted to leave the EU during a referendum in 2016, but a large majority in Scotland chose to stay.
A series of recent opinion polls suggest that a small majority now supports Scotland becoming an independent country. Sturgeon says her Scottish National Party will run in May’s election ‘to seek the authority of the Scottish people’ for a new referendum.
‘If the SNP wins the Scottish election in a few months’ time with a proposal to give the people the choice, then which Democrat can stand in the way? “Boris Johnson clearly fears the verdict and the will of the Scottish people,” Sturgeon told the BBC.
The SNP says that if it wins a majority in the Scottish Parliament in May, it will pass legislation that will allow a new referendum once the coronavirus pandemic is over. If Johnson’s government refuses to agree, the issue is likely to end up in court.
“I want a legitimate referendum, that’s what I’m going to seek the authority of the Scottish people for in May, and if they give me the authority, that’s what I intend to do,” Sturgeon said.
Opposition parties in Scotland say Sturgeon should focus on defeating the coronavirus and supporting the economy, rather than planning for independence.