Nicola Sturgeon has told Boris Johnson that she will legislate for a second independence referendum after her Scottish National Party (SNP) won a fourth term in office, and a pro-independence majority was returned to the Holyrood parliament. The SNP and the Greens both promised in their manifestos to legislate for a second independence referendum within the next five-year parliamentary term. But Ms Sturgeon has made clear that her immediate priority is the post-coronavirus recovery so she will not press for a referendum immediately. On Sunday, cabinet office minister Michael Gove declined to rule out a second referendum within the next five years or to commit to challenging in court any poll Ms Sturgeon calls. But Ms Sturgeon said that any attempt by the British government to block a second independence referendum would fly in the face of the democratic wishes of the Scottish people.

Source: The Irish Times May 09, 2021 18:56 UTC