Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has kicked off a new campaign for independence as she claimed her government has an “indisputable democratic mandate” for another referendum.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader released a document on Tuesday, laying out the economic and social differences between Scotland and other small countries, attributing the deficit to not having the full powers of an independent country.
She recalled that when she was re-elected as first minister last May it was on a “clear commitment to give the people of Scotland the choice of becoming an independent country.”
Sturgeon also noted there is a “decisive majority” in the Scottish Parliament in favour of independence, arguing as a result that the regional legislature has an “indisputable democratic mandate.”
The first minister conceded that the right of the Scottish Parliament to legislate for a referendum was “contested,” adding that she remains open to negotiations with the UK government on granting of the necessary powers.
But she said the Scottish government would have to look for a way to hold another vote if such an order was not forthcoming from the UK government.
In reaction to Sturgeon’s remarks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Scottish people had already made their views known at the 2014 referendum.
In the first independence referendum held in 2014, the Scottish electorate voted 55–45 percent to reject independence and remain part of the UK.
“I think the decision was taken by the Scottish people only a few years ago, in recent memory,” he told reporters on a visit to Staffordshire.
“I think we should respect that. I think we should also focus on what I think the people of the whole of the UK—Scotland, England, everybody—wants us to look at, which is the economic position we are in, the effect of COVID on the country, and then the post-COVID issues that we’re grappling with.
“That’s the focus of the government. We’re working with our friends in the Scottish government, in the Scottish administration, on those issues. That’s what you’d expect the government to do.”
A spokeswoman for the UK government said: “Now is not the time to be talking about another referendum.
“People across Scotland rightly want and expect to see both of their governments working together with a relentless focus on the issues that matter to them, their families, and communities.
“That means tackling the cost of living, protecting our long-term energy security, leading the international response against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and growing our economy so that everyone has access to the opportunities, skills, and jobs for the future.”
