Monday 10 February 2020

Force on a new referendum
Scottish MP threatens Johnson

London rejects Scottish independence aspirations after Brexit. But you don’t want to be in Edinburgh so easily. If necessary, Scotland can fight for a new referendum in court, convincing an MP who has already defeated Prime Minister Johnson.

A Scottish MP has threatened legal consequences that the British government should deny Scotland a second independence referendum. “Boris Johnson should be advised that we have options,” Joanna Cherry wrote on Twitter. Cherry sits for the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Westminster and is one of the MPs who have already successfully taken legal action against Johnson due to parliament’s suspension during the Brexit debate.

In the backdrop of Cherry’s warning is a new vote dispute between Scotland and the British government over the independence of the country’s share. The SNP is calling for another referendum after Brexit as too many Scots voted to remain in the European Union in 2016.

Johnson has so far refused to give the Edinburgh government the power to hold a new independence referendum. However, according to Cherry, the Scottish Parliament can call a consultative referendum without binding effect and then let the judiciary decide its legality.

Sturgeon: Legal clarification can no longer be denied

Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon had refused to call a referendum without London’s approval. But she now confirms that she will not deny a legal explanation of the powers of the Scottish Government in this regard.

In 2014, around 55 per cent of Scots voted to remain part of the UK in an independence referendum. However, pro-independence advocates argue that Brexit would represent a major change in Scotland, with the constitutional arrangement made with the UK government in London.