(MENAFN) Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has revealed preparations for a second referendum on Scottish independence to be held in October next year, pledging to take legal action if the British government tries to prevent it.
Sturgeon said on Tuesday that the Scottish government, led by her pro-independence Scottish National Party, will issue a referendum bill later outlining arrangements for the October 19, 2023 referendum.
She also stated that she will write to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to request permission to hold a consultative referendum, but that she had already begun planning to get legal authorization if he refused.
Sturgeon informed lawmakers in the devolved Scottish Parliament, “What I am not willing to do, what I will never do, is allow Scottish democracy to be a prisoner of Boris Johnson or any prime minister.”
In 2014, voters in Scotland, which has a population of around 5.5 million people, rejected independence. However, Scotland's semi-autonomous administration has stated that the United Kingdom's exit from the EU, which was rejected by a majority of Scots, necessitates a second referendum.
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