SNP calls for new Brexit and Scottish independence votes
Nicola Sturgeon says EU exit ‘chaos’ strengthens case for fresh referendums
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has opened the door to two new referendums - on Brexit and Scottish independence - saying the “developing disaster” of UK-EU negotiations is changing the political landscape.
Speaking as the second day of the Scottish National Party (SNP) conference opened in Glasgow, Sturgeon said she would “make the case” for a Scottish independence vote, possibly as early as next year, and floated the possibility of a second Brexit referendum.
“Increasingly, the UK right now is engulfed in chaos. We are seeing a developing disaster, in my view, with the Brexit negotiations,” Sturgeon told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland. “And the case for Scotland taking control of our future… in my view, gets stronger by the day.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sturgeon said it was up to the SNP to “build that case” for independence, even though a 2014 vote was lost by a margin of 55% to 45% - and despite the SNP losing a third of its seats in the general election this June.
Although a second Brexit referendum isn’t SNP policy, Sturgeon said she was increasingly receptive to the idea and that the temptation may become “too difficult to resist” over time.
“The consequences are so dire that people may have the right to look at the outcome,” she insisted, during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
The Liberal Democrats are actively demanding a second Brexit vote and Labour - although not backing the idea - has been “careful not to rule it out”, The Guardian says.
The Sun reports that “many fear that a fresh vote on the terms of our exit would allow last year’s historic vote to be overturned and for us [the UK] to be kept in the EU”.
Asked for her views on Catalonia’s independence referendum and possible succession from Spain, Sturgeon said yesterday that Catalans “weren’t left with any choice” but to hold an independence referendum, and that the EU had let Catalans down by failing to condemn the “grotesque and unacceptable” violence of Spanish police during last week’s ballot.
She declined to say if Scotland would recognise the result of the election in favour of an independent Catalonia.
“Although many SNP supporters support the Catalan Yes movement, Ms Sturgeon knows that accepting the result would antagonise the EU countries she wants on side during the Brexit process and may need in future if Scotland voted for independence,” says Scotland’s Sunday Herald.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The magician who secretly smashed the Magic Circle's glass ceiling
Under The Radar Sophie Lloyd lurked in the all-male society by posing as a teenage boy for nearly two years, but was expelled after revealing her true identity
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Kate Summerscale's 6 favorite true crime books about real murder cases
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Helen Garner, Gwen Adshead, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Team of bitter rivals
Opinion Will internal tensions tear apart Trump's unlikely alliance?
By Theunis Bates Published
-
The potential impact of Trump tariffs for the UK
The Explainer UK goods exports to the US could be hit with tariffs of up to 20% seriously affecting the British economy
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Alex Salmond: charismatic politician who nearly broke up the Union
In the Spotlight Remembering the former First Minister who 'normalised' the cause of Scottish independence
By The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published