Scotland: Sturgeon sees next general election as "de facto referendum"

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Scottish Prime Minister Sturgeon sees "a de facto referendum" in the next general election

Photo: RUSSELL CHEYNE / REUTERS

The UK Supreme Court's decision against a new independence referendum in Scotland is a defeat for the country's Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The leader of the Scottish national party SNP has been campaigning for a secession of the northern part of the country from the United Kingdom for years - and now sees her plans confirmed by the court decision.

The next election for Scotland is the general election, Sturgeon said after the verdict.

They are "the first and most obvious way" to advance the plans for Scottish independence that she presented in June.

Sturgeon spoke of a "de facto referendum".

The SNP is likely to focus on Scottish independence as a central issue in the election campaign.

Sturgeon wants to accept court decision

The Prime Minister said she was disappointed with the decision but accepted it.

Independence must be achieved through legal and democratic means.

The judgment has shown that the United Kingdom is not a voluntary union of equal partners.

The Supreme Court's decision also showed that independence was fundamental to Scotland escaping "the Brexit catastrophe" and a government it didn't vote for, Sturgeon said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is apparently also already looking to the upcoming elections.

According to the Reuters news agency, Sunak said after the verdict that he thinks that the people of Scotland want politics to focus on the currently pressing issues.

The High Court in London had ruled that the regional parliament in Edinburgh could not hold an independence referendum on its own.

"The Scottish Parliament does not have the power to legislate for a referendum on Scottish independence," said UK Supreme Court President Robert Reed.

Sturgeon wanted a referendum as early as next year

Sturgeon originally wanted a referendum on Scotland's independence in October 2023.

The government in London has repeatedly made it clear that it rejects the Scottish plan.

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 the UK had rejected with a clear majority (62 percent).

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

fek/Reuters/dpa