First Minister says the drafting of legislation to enable a second independence referendum will begin immediately
A SECOND INDEPENDENCE referendum is “highly likely”, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Speaking at a press conference in Bute House following the UK’s vote to leave the EU by 52 per cent to 48 per cent, and following Prime Minister David Cameron’s announcement of his resignation before the Conservative party conference in October, Sturgeon said that the conditions for a second referendum has been met.
She said: “The manifesto that the SNP was elected on last month said this. ‘The Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold another referendum, if there is a significant and material change of circumstances that prevailed in 2014 such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will.’
“Scotland does now face that prospect, it is a significant and material change in circumstances and it is therefore a statement of the obvious that a second referendum must be on the table, and it is on the table.”
Asked from the audience to state what other options were on the table, Sturgeon said that another independence referendum was “highly likely”.
She also said that the drafting of a bill for a second referendum on Scottish independence would begin “imminently”.
She said: “We will immediately begin to prepare the required legislation to enable a new independence referendum.”
Sturgeon said that the current situation, with Scotland being removed from the EU without its consent was “democratically unacceptable”.
Picture courtesy of Scottish Government
Check out what people are saying about how important CommonSpace is. Pledge your support today.
