Sturgeon starts work on new independence referendum

Poll shows nearly 60 per cent of Scots support Scottish independence after Brexit vote

Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon said her government started work on legislation for a new referendum on independence after the UK as a whole decided to leave the European Union while Scotland voted to remain.

Speaking after an emergency meeting of her cabinet in Edinburgh on Saturday, Ms Sturgeon said she will also be seeking talks with European leaders and the institutions of the EU about ways of continuing Scotland's relationship with the bloc.

The move comes as Scottish newspaper The Sunday Post said 59 percent of respondents in the poll backed independence from the United Kingdom. That was sharply higher than the 45 percent of votes cast in favour of independence at a referendum in 2014 which resulted in the country staying in the UK.

Scotland’s semi-autonomous government will appoint a panel of advisers in coming weeks and convene a meeting of consuls from EU member states.

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“A second independence referendum is clearly an option that requires to be on the table, and it is very much on the table; to ensure that option is a deliverable one in the required timetable, steps will be taken now to ensure the necessary legislation is in place,” Sturgeon said in a televised statement outside her official Bute House residence.

“We are determined to act decisively, but in a way that builds unity across Scotland about the way forward.”

The campaign to leave the world's largest trading bloc scored a stunning victory in Thursday's Brexit vote that shook financial markets across the globe and upended Britain's political establishment.

Immediately, questions were raised about the future integrity of the UK less than two years since Scots last voted on independence, deciding 55 per cent to 45 per cent to stay in the three-centuries-old union with England.

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The prospect of another vote dominated Scottish media on Saturday. The front page of the Daily Record, the top-selling newspaper, declared "EU, Go Girl' and said Sturgeon had no choice but to call another vote.

The Herald said on its front page that Scotland is on course for a referendum within two years.

Brexit is one of the game changers Sturgeon and her Scottish National Party have said would prompt them to push again for full autonomy. Another was a turn in the polls to show a clear majority would back independence.

Before the EU referendum, a survey by TNS showed the country of 5.4 million was split roughly as it was in the 2014 independence vote.

During the last independence referendum, the difficulty of joining the EU after secession was used as a threat by pro-union campaigners, including UK prime minister David Cameron, who resigned in the wake of the Brexit defeat.

Scotland is now reaching out to Brussels and EU diplomats to ensure that doesn't happen again.

Bloomberg