Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC she was confident an independence referendum could take place next year. Britain’s highest court will consider from Tuesday whether the plebiscite is possible without permission from the government in London.

Read also | Scotland ahead of possible independence elections

British Prime Minister Liz Truss disagreed. Sturgeon saw the blockade through London as proof that Scotland was part of a political system that did not respect Scottish democracy. His nationalist party (SNP) won a landslide victory in last year’s regional head election. He saw this as a clear mandate from the electorate for a referendum.

Maybe in October

Scotland has been part of the United Kingdom since 1707 and got its own parliament in 1998. However, all matters relating to the union remain with the Parliament in London. The court will hear arguments next week over whether the Scottish Parliament has the power to legislate for an independence referendum. Sturgeon wants to hold a vote in October next year.

Listen too | Bernard Hammelburg – Scottish Independence

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Brexit

The last time Scotland held a referendum on secession from Britain was in 2014, when 55 per cent of voters voted against independence and 45 per cent in favor. In its argument for a new plebiscite, the SNP pointed to Brexit, among other things. The majority of Scots voted unsuccessfully in the 2016 referendum against Britain’s exit from the European Union.