Independence plea: The UK’s SC shoots down Scottish referendum bid
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid reports of a rethink in Britain about London’s Brexit decision, and weighing the benefits of rejoining the European Union (EU) to avert the isolationist dangers to its increasingly brittle economy, the nation’s Supreme Court on Wednesday scotched Scotland’s unfinished agenda to break away from the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
The media reported the apex court rejected the Scottish independence referendum bid.
In 2014, when London sought to break away from the EU, 55 percent of the angry Scots opposing Brexit rejected their over 300-year-old union with England as well. Recently, the pro-independence campaigners sought a fresh vote on the issue.
The Scottish Parliament has no power to legislate for a referendum.
The top court ruled the Scottish government cannot hold a second referendum on independence next year without approval from the British Parliament, dealing a blow to nationalists’ hopes of holding a fresh vote in 2023.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who leads the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), announced earlier this year that she would hold an advisory independence vote on October 19, 2023, but that it had to be lawful and internationally recognized.
However, the British government said it would not grant permission for another plebiscite, saying it should be a once-in-a-generation event. Polls suggest voters remain evenly split over whether they support Scotland’s independence and a vote would be too close to call.
The Scottish government had asked the UK Supreme Court whether it could pass legislation paving the way for an advisory second referendum without the approval of the UK parliament. The court ruled it could not.
“The Scottish Parliament does not have the power to legislate for a referendum on Scottish independence,” Robert Reed, the President of the UK Supreme Court, said.
Under the 1998 Scotland Act, which created the Scottish Parliament and devolved some powers from Westminster, it reserved all matters relating to the Union of the Kingdoms of Scotland and England to the UK’s parliament.
