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Nicola Sturgeon: Will allow referendum without British consent
Photo: Pool/Getty Images
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants to hold a referendum on the independence of the British part of the country, if necessary without the consent of the central government in London.
Sturgeon said at a press conference in Edinburgh.
Although a referendum must be legal, the Scottish National Party (SNP) politician said the British government "respects neither democracy nor the rule of law".
Sturgeon announced that she will therefore promptly present plans as to how the actually necessary approval for another independence referendum by London can be circumvented.
The Scottish Parliament has an "undeniable democratic mandate," Sturgeon said.
The backlash from London came promptly: Prime Minister Boris Johnson believes that "now is not the time to talk about a second independence referendum," said a spokesman.
According to Sturgeon's current plans, a second independence referendum is to be held by the end of 2023 at the latest.
In the first referendum in 2014, a majority of 55 percent of voters opposed secession from the United Kingdom.
However, the SNP and its coalition partner the Scottish Greens argue that leaving the EU has fundamentally changed the situation.
At the time, 62 percent of Scots voted against Brexit.
The Scottish government is therefore committed to Scotland's re-entry into the EU
so called/dpa