Nicola Sturgeon demands powers for indyref2 after ‘stunning’ Tory defeat in Scotland
2 min read
Nicola Sturgeon has said she will demand fresh powers to hold a second independence referendum in Scotland after the party’s landslide victory there.
In a direct message to Boris Johnson, the Scottish First minister said the SNP’s success in Scotland “renews, reinforces and strengthens the mandate” for a fresh vote.
Under the current rules, the Scottish Government can only hold a second independence referendum - dubbed “indyref2” - if it is granted a so-called 'Section 30' order by the Westminster Parliament.
The SNP won 48 seats out of 59 in Scotland, an increase of 13 seats from the 2017 election, while the Toriesonly won six seats.
Labour held onto one seat and the Liberal Democrats four, but they had little cause for celebration after the SNP ousted Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson from her Scottish seat.
Speaking on Friday, Mr Sturgeon issued a demand to the Prime Minister for new powers to bypass Section 30 and pave the way for another independence vote.
She said: “The stunning election win last night for the SNP renews, reinforces and strenghtens the mandate we have from previous elections to offer the people of Scotland a choice over their future.
“That mandate says that it is for the Scottish Parliament not a Westminster government, to decide whether and when there should be a new referendum on independence.
“So given the verdict of the people of Scotland last night, the Scottish government will, next week, publish the detailed, democratic case for a transfer of power to enable a referendum to be put beyond legal challenge."
The SNP leader also said she “feared” for the future of Scotland under a Tory government, adding that the “right to choose our own future has never been more important or more urgent”.
"Given what I fear a Tory government now has in store for Scotland, that right to choose our own future has never been more important or more urgent,” she said.
"So to the Prime Minister let me be very clear: this is not simply a demand that I or the SNP are making.
"It is the right of the people of Scotland and you as the leader of a defeated party in Scotland have no right to stand in the way.”
Boris Johnson has previously ruled out granting a Scotland another referendum, claiming that the issue had been settled by the "once-in-a-generation" vote in 2014.
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