[News] The British Supreme Court refuses to allow Scotland to organize a second referendum on independence

[SnO]

Britain's highest court ruled on Wednesday that the Scottish government had no right to hold a second referendum on independence next year without the consent of the British parliament.

The Chief Justice of the British Supreme Court, Robert Reid, said that the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to pass legislation allowing the referendum on Scottish independence.

Reid added that the justices had concluded unanimously that such a vote would have consequences for the unity of the United Kingdom and would therefore require approval from the central authority in London.

 

 

In a quick reaction to the decision, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon expressed her "disappointment" with the ruling, but nevertheless declared that she respected the judiciary's decision.

"The law that does not allow Scotland to choose its future without the consent of the UK Parliament exposes the notion that the UK is a voluntary partnership," the SNP leader wrote on Twitter.

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In turn, the British government urged Edinburgh to "focus" on the needs of the people of Scotland, after the verdict. "We take note of and respect the unanimous ruling of the High Court today," Alistair Jack, Secretary of State for Scotland, said in a statement.

The Edinburgh government wanted a vote in October next year on the question: Should Scotland be an independent country? But the UK government, which oversees constitutional affairs for the entire country, has repeatedly refused to give Edinburgh the power to hold a referendum.

And the British government considered that the last referendum, which was held in 2014, during which 55% of Scots rejected independence, settled the question for an entire generation.

But Sturgeon and her party say they now have an "unquestionable mandate" for another independence referendum, particularly in light of the UK's exit from the European Union.

 

https://www.aljazeera.net/news/2022/11/23/المحكمة-العليا-البريطانية-ترفض