Edinburgh (AP) – Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon is confident that London will not prevent an independence referendum in Scotland following his party’s electoral victory.
“If the people of Scotland vote for a party that says ‘when the time comes, there should be an independence referendum’, you can’t stand in the way,” Sturgeon told the Guardian. “And I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
In its report, the newspapers cite anonymous sources from the British government that are said to have already accepted that it would be almost inevitable to accept a referendum call after a clear election result.
The Scots will elect a new regional parliament on 6 May. Sturgeon is a clear favorite with his Scottish National Party (SNP). In the event of an absolute majority, the party wants to move through a new independence referendum – however, Prime Minister Boris Johnson should allow it. The clearer the Scottish election result, the greater the pressure on London.
A vote in 2014 was against the separation of Scotland from the United Kingdom. However, this was before the 2016 Brexit referendum. As a clear majority of Scots voted against Brexit, the independence movement subsequently gained significant support. The Scottish National Party is currently leading in the election.
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