Scottish government wants independence referendum before the end of 2023

(London) Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday reiterated her pledge to hold a new Scottish independence referendum before the end of 2023, despite strong opposition from London.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, choices must follow that will shape our economy and society for decades to come,” the SNP pro-independence leader said as he presented Scottish MPs with her government’s agenda for the coming year. .

« If COVID-19 allows it », continued Nicola Sturgeon, the objective is to hold a self-determination referendum « in the first half of this legislature, before the end of 2023 ».

So that voters vote « in a fully informed manner », she specified that her government would resume « work on the detailed prospectus which will guide this decision ».

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the only one able to authorize this referendum, firmly opposes it, believing that such a consultation, already organized in 2014 and marked by the 55% victory of the retention in the United Kingdom, does not could happen « once in a generation ».

Its minister Michael Gove, responsible for coordinating the action of the government, has ruled out any new consultation before the next legislative elections, scheduled for 2024.

But the SNP, which signed a power-sharing deal with the pro-independence Greens in August, believes that Brexit has been a game-changer, with the Scots opposing it with 62% of the vote, against the grain of the Kingdom. -United. For them, the British nation must now be able to join the European Union as an independent state.