Scotland plans to hold another referendum for independence in 2023. The bill will be presented in the local parliament in the near future.
This was stated by the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, writes Deutsche Welle.
She has long called for a new referendum on independence, as the Scots were largely opposed to Britainʼs withdrawal from the European Union.
“Scotland has paid a price for generations for not being independent. Westminster governments, which we do not vote for, impose policies that we do not support, and very often prevent us from realizing our potential,” Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament.
According to her, the referendum should take place on October 19, 2023. She emphasizes that it can be held without the consent of the British Parliament, but according to the law, the referendum must be approved there.
At the same time, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, and his party have consistently opposed a referendum in Scotland. The government said it would "carefully study" the Scotsʼ proposal.
Scotland got its own parliament and government as part of the UK in 1999. In 2007, the winner of the local election was the Scottish National Party, which began to promote independence. They decided to hold a referendum on independence and the British government agreed. It was held in the autumn of 2014 — 55% of Scots voted against independence.
But now Sturgeon is calling for a second referendum, as the situation has changed significantly since 2014, as the UK left the EU, while 62% of Scots then voted to remain in the EU.