Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon defiantly and unexpectedly announced Monday that she will seek a new independence referendum, forcing British leaders to try to prevent their country from ripping apart even as they negotiate a high-wire divorce from the European Union. departure by month’s end, Sturgeon said she will push for a vote on Scottish independence in autumn 2018 or spring 2019 — likely just before the United Kingdom leaves the union. A second independence vote raises the possible head-spinning scenario of British leaders finalizing their E.U. Scottish independence advocates lost a vote in September 2014 by a margin of 55 to 45 percent. But Sturgeon, who holds the title of first minister in Scotland, said Monday that Britain’s E.U.

Source: Washington Post March 13, 2017 12:06 UTC