The British Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Scottish government should not organize an independence referendum on its own initiative. The Scottish Parliament does not have the power to do so.
If you want to separate Scotland from Great Britain, you have to go through London. The long awaited one statement from the British Supreme Court it is clear: the Scottish government cannot organize a referendum to become independent on its own. The court also rejected Scotland’s claim that the new referendum would simply be ‘the opinion of the people’.
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, of the Scottish Nationalists, has been calling for a new referendum for some time. But London always dismissed the request. Brexit and its unenviable consequences gave impetus to that desire for independence. In Scotland, the majority of voters want to remain in the European Union.
But with that desire for independence came all kinds of legal and constitutional questions. Can the Scots choose to break away? That was the case for the Supreme Court, which today dealt a blow to Scotland’s nationalist winds. “That statement is not political in any way,” said Chairman Lord Reed. However, he believes that his court can and should decide the case.
Demonstrations in 2014 for Scottish independence.
Photo: Reuters
In 2014, a year before the Brexit referendum, Scotland voted for independence. Then they chose to remain part of the United Kingdom. Sturgeon wants to ask Scotland that question again on October 19, 2023. He has already reacted with disappointment via Twitter. “The law does not allow us to choose our own future.” In the afternoon he gave a broader response.
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