Proposed second Scottish independence referendum information
Possible future referendum
For the independence referendum that took place in September 2014, see 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
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A second referendum (commonly referred to as indyref2) on the independence of Scotland from the United Kingdom (UK) has been proposed by the Scottish Government. An independence referendum was first held on 18 September 2014, with 55% voting "No" to independence. The Scottish Government stated in its white paper for independence that voting Yes was a "once in a generation opportunity to follow a different path, and choose a new and better direction for our nation".[1] Following the "No" vote, the cross party Smith Commission proposed areas that could be devolved to the Scottish Parliament; this led to the passing of the Scotland Act 2016,[2] formalising new devolved policy areas in time for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election campaign.[3]
The pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) said before the 2016 election that a second independence referendum should be held if there was a material change of circumstances, such as the UK leaving the European Union.[4] The SNP formed a minority government following the election.[5] The "Leave" side won the Brexit referendum in June 2016. 62% of votes in Scotland were opposed to Brexit.[6] In 2017, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gained approval of the Scottish Parliament to seek a "Section 30 Order" under the Scotland Act 1998 to hold an independence referendum "when the shape of the UK's Brexit deal will become clear".[7][8] No Prime Minister to date has transferred power under Section 30.[9][10][11][12][13]
In January 2021, the SNP stated that, if pro-independence parties won a majority in the 2021 Scottish parliament election, the Scottish Government would introduce a bill for an independence referendum.[14] The SNP and Scottish Greens (who also support independence) won a majority of seats in the election, and entered government together under the Bute House Agreement. In June 2022, Sturgeon announced plans to hold a referendum on 19 October 2023. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected Sturgeon's request to hold a referendum in July 2022.[15] The question of whether a referendum can take place without the UK government's agreement was referred to the UK Supreme Court,[16][17][18] which ruled in November 2022 that an independence referendum is outside the competence of the Scottish Parliament.[19]
^"SCOTLANDʼS FUTURE YOUR GUIDE TO AN INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND" (PDF). gov.scot. 1 November 2013. p. i. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
^"Scotland Act: what are Holyrood's new law-making powers?". BBC News. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
^"Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland's future is in the EU". The Parliament Magazine. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
^"At-a-glance: SNP's Holyrood manifesto". BBC News. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
^"Nicola Sturgeon to lead minority government after SNP falls short". inews.co.uk. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
^"Scotland backs Remain as UK votes Leave". BBC News. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
^"Scotland must have choice over future". Scottish Government. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
^"Sturgeon signs independence vote request". BBC News. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
^"Scottish independence: Referendum demand 'will be rejected'". BBC News. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
^Brooks, Libby (19 December 2019). "Sturgeon demands independence referendum powers be devolved". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
^"Scotland's right to choose: putting Scotland's future in Scotland's hands". The Scottish Government. 19 December 2019. ISBN 9781839604454. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
^Brooks, Libby (15 October 2019). "Nicola Sturgeon to demand powers for 2020 referendum". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
^"Boris Johnson: I see no reason to ever allow indyref2". STV News. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
^Cite error: The named reference jan2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Beleaguered Boris Johnson rejects Nicola Sturgeon's indyref2 call". BBC News. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
^Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Sim, Philip (9 May 2021). "Scottish independence: Could the Supreme Court rule on a referendum?". BBC News. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
^"Indyref2 case dismissed as 'hypothetical' by court". BBC News. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
^Nicolson, Stuart (23 November 2022). "Scottish government loses indyref2 court case". BBC News.
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