Scotland drops plan for immediate push for second independence vote
Scotland’s devolved government has dropped immediate plans for a second independence referendum until after the terms of Britain’s EU exit are clear, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday.
“We will not seek to introduce the legislation for an independence referendum immediately,” she said.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday that Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon should take a demand for a second independence referendum off the table.
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“What I think Nicola Sturgeon should be saying today is that she’s going to completely take off the table the question of Indy Ref 2, a second independence referendum in Scotland,” May told Sky.
“I think that was the clear message from the general election and I think now is the time for the United Kingdom to be pulling together, not being driven apart,” May said.
Scots voted against independence by 55 to 45 percent in 2014 but Sturgeon has argued the Brexit vote changed circumstances because Scots voted overwhelmingly against leaving the EU and they should not be dragged out against their will.
However, she had been under pressure to put off a new referendum because of her party’s weak performance in a national election earlier this month.
She told the Scottish assembly she had listened carefully to those who were concerned about Brexit but had not wanted another independence vote immediately. She said a choice still needed to be offered, but the timing needed to be more cautious.
Brexit has strained relations between Britain’s four nations because Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to keep EU membership while England and Wales voted to leave.
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