Future Of British Business
UK’s Top Court Quashes Scotland’s Bid for New Independence Vote
- Supreme court says Scottish government can’t call second vote
- Scottish leader to turn next election into de facto referendum
This article is for subscribers only.
The UK’s top judges threw out an attempt by the Scottish government to bypass Westminster and call a second independence referendum, thwarting nationalist leader Nicola Sturgeon’s plan for a vote next year.
The Supreme Court was asked by Scotland’s top legal adviser to assess whether the Scottish Parliament had the power to legislate unilaterally for a consultative referendum. The London-based court ruled unanimously that a vote would need to be approved by the UK government, as it was when Scotland held a previous referendum in 2014.