The Scottish parliament on Tuesday backed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s bid for a new independence referendum, further complicating Britain’s political situation just as years of talks on the terms of Brexit were about to begin. It is far from certain that the British government will authorise a new independence vote. She has proposed a new independence referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019, once the terms of Brexit have become clearer but before it has taken effect. She said on Tuesday that if London sought to block her plan, she would return to the Scottish parliament after the Easter break to say how she would handle the situation. The vote in the Scottish parliament had originally been scheduled to take place on Wednesday last week, but was suspended because of an attack on the British parliament in London in which five people died, including the attacker.

Source: Indian Express March 28, 2017 16:45 UTC