The First Minister issued a statement today, regarding a second independence referendum
The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon provided a statement to the Scottish Parliament setting out the Scottish Government’s pathway towards delivering a second independence referendum. This is the second parliamentary intervention in recent weeks aimed at reviving interest in the matter, following the publication of Wealthier, happier, fairer: why not Scotland?, the first in a series of policy papers focusing on independence.
While that document outlined some of the supposed benefits of separation, the First Minister’s statement today focused on providing a legal route to a second independence referendum, a matter complicated by the fact that the Scottish Parliament does not hold the power to do so in the absence of a Section 30 Order being transferred from Westminster.
Given the unlikelihood of this being granted, the First Minister set out the actions the Scottish Government and Lord Advocate would take in its absence, namely: (1) the publication of an independence referendum bill; and (2) that the Lord Advocate agreed to make a reference of the provisions of this bill to the UK Supreme Court.
The First Minister revealed that she had written to the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stating that she was ready to negotiate a Section 30 Order, which would allow for a second independence referendum to take place, as well as informing him of the Scottish Government’s actions as per her statement.