Sturgeon reviving plans for second Scottish independence referendum
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Nicola Sturgeon has revived plans for a possible second Scottish referendum on independence from the UK, pledging to publish draft legislation for a new vote before next May’s elections for the parliament in Edinburgh, according to the Financial Times.
The Evening Standard reports that Nicola Sturgeon has announced plans for a draft Bill for a new Scottish independence referendum, which has been daubed Indyref2.
Announcing her programme for government in the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister said the draft Bill will set out the proposed question people will be asked in a new poll.
Sturgeon has put on hold the plans for a second referendum bill in March because of the coronavirus crisis. However, 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.
The approach by Boris Johnson’s UK government to Brexit — dismissing Scottish concerns despite a sizeable majority of the country voting to remain in the EU — and the perception that Ms Sturgeon has handled the coronavirus pandemic better than the prime minister, appears to have strengthened support for the pro-independence SNP.
