Scotland submits plan for independence referendum to court

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Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon

Photo: Jane Barlow / dpa

The Scottish government is having the UK Supreme Court review its plans for a new independence referendum.

The chief legal officer of the regional government, Dorothy Bain, submitted a corresponding application to the Supreme Court in London.

Bain also presented the corresponding draft law.

It remains to be clarified whether the Scottish regional parliament can call a referendum.

"The Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and the peoples of Scotland and the United Kingdom should have clarity as to the scope of the relevant reservations on this issue of fundamental constitutional importance," Bain wrote.

Only the Supreme Court can offer this clarity.

Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that the vote will take place on October 19, 2023.

However, according to constitutional experts, the British central government in London must approve the plan.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly made it clear that he opposes the project.

Scotland had held a referendum in the past, but in 2014 a majority of Scots (55 percent) voted to remain in the UK.

However, that was before Brexit, which the northernmost part of Britain had rejected with a clear majority (62 percent).

The supporters of independence therefore hope that the situation will change if there is another vote.

The outcome of a second referendum would be open

That's not so sure.

In the most recent opinion polls from May of this year, supporters and opponents of independence are also close together.

In a recent survey by The Times, 38 percent of respondents voted yes and 46 percent no.

A full 11 percent were still undecided.

General Counsel Bain stressed that a referendum will not be legally binding, but merely express the will of the people.

If the Supreme Court finds a vote illegal, Prime Minister Sturgeon wants to make the next UK general election a de facto referendum and campaign solely on the independence issue.

svs/dpa