Scotland Prepares for Potential UK Break Following Brexit Vote

ashley.rae | June 24, 2016
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Scotland is preparing to hold another referendum on whether to declare independence from the United Kingdom following the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said an independence referendum is “highly likely” after the Brexit vote, saying the decision to have Scotland “taken out of the EU against our will” was “democratically unacceptable.”

Although the decision to leave the EU won with 51.9 percent of the vote in the United Kingdom as a whole, 62 percent of people in Scotland voted to “remain” in the EU.

Sturgeon said, “As first minister of Scotland, I have a duty to respond—not just to the outcome across the UK—but also and in particular to the democratic decision taken by the people of Scotland. As things stand, Scotland faces the prospect of being taken out of the EU against our will. I regard that as democratically unacceptable.”

“And of course, we face that prospect less than two years after being told it was our own referendum on independence that would end our membership of the European Union, and only a rejection of independence would protect it. Indeed, for many people, the supposed guarantee of remaining in the EU was a driver of their decision to vote to stay in the U.K..”

Later in her speech, Sturgeon cotinued, “[…] When the Article 50 process is triggered in three month’s time, the U.K. will be on a two-year path to the EU exit door. If the parliament judges that a second referendum is the best—or only way—to protect our place in Europe, it must have the option to hold one within that timescale,” Sturgeon said.

“That means we must act now to protect that position. I can therefore confirm today that in order to protect that position, we will begin to prepare the legislation that will be required to enable a new independence referendum to take place, if, and when, parliament decides.”

“There are many people who voted against independence in 2014 who are today reassessing their decision,” Sturgeon said. “Indeed, a very large number of them have contacted me already.”

In the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Scotland decided to stay in the U.K. with a vote of 55 percent to 45 percent.

 

 

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