Nicola Sturgeon revives plans for second Scottish independence vote

Nicola Sturgeon has revived plans for a possible second Scottish independence referendum, pledging to publish draft legislation for a new vote before next May's elections for the parliament in Edinburgh.

Scotland’s first minister announced the resumption of work on the bill in her annual programme for government on Tuesday, alongside plans for a £100 million green jobs fund and proposals for a “National Care Service”.

Ms Sturgeon, leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, put on hold plans for legislation to prepare the ground for a second referendum in March to focus on the coronavirus crisis.

The policy programme document said the combination of the impact of the pandemic and the UK’s exit from the EU showed the “limitations” of the devolved Scottish parliament’s ability to “protect and renew” the country.

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"That is why, before the end of this [Scottish] parliament, we will publish a draft Bill for an independence referendum – setting out the terms of a future referendum clearly and unambiguously to the people of Scotland, " the document said.

A majority in Scotland voted to remain in the EU in 2016, and the SNP has criticised the approach to Brexit taken by Boris Johnson’s UK government, accusing the prime minister of dismissing their concerns.

Recent opinion polls suggest that for the first time a sustained majority of Scottish voters would back leaving the UK in a second referendum – a result that would reverse the 2014 vote, which rejected independence by 55-45 per cent.

Legally incontestable

Any unilateral preparations for an independence referendum are largely symbolic because the UK government maintains that Westminster’s approval would be needed for such a vote. Ms Sturgeon has repeatedly made clear that she wants any plebiscite to be legally incontestable.

But polls suggest the SNP is on course for a landslide victory in voting in May for the Scottish Parliament, increasing pressure on the UK Conservative government to approve another independence vote.

Ms Sturgeon said the Bill would set out a timescale and proposed question for a second referendum.

“At next year’s election, we will make the case for Scotland to become an independent country, and seek a clear endorsement of Scotland’s right to choose our own future,” the first minister said.

Analysts said the support for independence appeared to have been boosted by Brexit and by perceptions that Ms Sturgeon has handled the coronavirus pandemic better than Mr Johnson.

Supporters of Scotland's three-century-old union with England condemned Ms Sturgeon's plan to put independence back on the parliamentary agenda.

"We need to take Scotland forward and recover from this crisis together, not go back to the divisions of the past," said Douglas Ross, the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2020