UK top court rules against Scottish parliament

World

UK Supreme Court on Wednesday (local time) barred Scottish parliament from conducting an independence referendum.

Court unanimously rejected Scottish National Party’s (SNP) effort to precipitate a referendum next October since it did not have agreement of Britain’s parliament. The action is expected to enrage Scottish nationalists, who argue that the country’s future should be decided by Scottish voters.

Scotland had a referendum on topic in 2014, with Westminster’s assent, and Scots rejected the option of independence by a margin of 55% to 45%.

Despite this, pro-independence SNP has dominated politics north of border in recent years, at the cost of conventional pro-union parties. Successive SNP leaders have promised to offer Scottish citizens another vote, especially after the United Kingdom decided to exit European Union in 2016.

Leader of Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon has proposed having an advisory referendum late next year, similar to the 2016 vote that culminated in Brexit. However, country’s highest court decided that even a non-binding vote would necessitate Westminster’s scrutiny

Sturgeon said she accepted the judgement but attempted to spin it as yet another pillar in secessionist case.

In an address to reporters, she accused British government of ‘outright democratic denial’.

Sturgeon stated that next phase in her campaign for a vote would be to brand the next British general election, which is slated for January 2025 at the earliest, as a proxy referendum in Scotland on which path to pursue.

Meanwhile, United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, hailed the court’s “clear and unequivocal verdict” as a chance to move on from the independence issue.