Reuters, Edinburgh :
The Scottish parliament on Tuesday backed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s bid for a new independence referendum, further complicating Britain’s political situation just as years of talks on the terms of Brexit were about to begin.
The United Kingdom’s vote last year to exit the European Union has strained ties between its four constituent parts because England and Wales voted to leave while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain.
The Edinburgh legislature’s vote backing Sturgeon’s bid for a referendum in late 2018 or early 2019 came a day before British Prime Minister Theresa May triggers Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, the first formal step towards Brexit.
It is far from certain that the British government will authorise a new independence vote. May has said “now is not the time” and insisted her focus was on getting a good Brexit deal that would work for every part of the UK.
“Scotland, like the rest of the UK, stands at a crossroads,” Sturgeon told the Edinburgh assembly at the start of Tuesday’s debate.
“When Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty is triggered tomorrow, change for our country becomes inevitable … There will be an impact on trade, on investment and on living standards, and an impact on the very nature of the society we live in.”
Scotland voted against independence by 55 to 45 percent in 2014 but Sturgeon argues circumstances have changed due to the Brexit vote and that Scots should not be dragged out of the EU against their will.
She has proposed a new independence referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019, once the terms of Brexit have become clearer but before it has taken effect.
The Scottish parliament on Tuesday backed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s bid for a new independence referendum, further complicating Britain’s political situation just as years of talks on the terms of Brexit were about to begin.
The United Kingdom’s vote last year to exit the European Union has strained ties between its four constituent parts because England and Wales voted to leave while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain.
The Edinburgh legislature’s vote backing Sturgeon’s bid for a referendum in late 2018 or early 2019 came a day before British Prime Minister Theresa May triggers Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, the first formal step towards Brexit.
It is far from certain that the British government will authorise a new independence vote. May has said “now is not the time” and insisted her focus was on getting a good Brexit deal that would work for every part of the UK.
“Scotland, like the rest of the UK, stands at a crossroads,” Sturgeon told the Edinburgh assembly at the start of Tuesday’s debate.
“When Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty is triggered tomorrow, change for our country becomes inevitable … There will be an impact on trade, on investment and on living standards, and an impact on the very nature of the society we live in.”
Scotland voted against independence by 55 to 45 percent in 2014 but Sturgeon argues circumstances have changed due to the Brexit vote and that Scots should not be dragged out of the EU against their will.
She has proposed a new independence referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019, once the terms of Brexit have become clearer but before it has taken effect.
