THE SCOTTISH government has proposed to hold another independence referendum on 19 October 2023.
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon yesterday said the question would be the same as in the last referendum in 2014, asking voters: "Should Scotland be an independent country?".
Ms Sturgeon has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ask for formal consent for the vote to be held.
She said she would press on with her plan if this was not granted by the UK government.
"Scotland - over generations - has paid a price for not being independent," she said at the devolved parliament in Holyrood.
"UK Governments we don’t vote for, imposing policies we don’t support, too often holding us back from fulfilling our potential."
She said Scotland deserves better, but they the parliament is "powerless" to shape its economy and grow as a country.
"It does not have to be this way," she continued. "Independence is about equipping ourselves to navigate the future, guided by our own values, aspirations and interests.
"It is about helping us fulfil our potential here at home and play our part in building a better world."
She called on the UK and Scottish governments to sit down to agree a process, including a section 30 order, which bestows powers on Holyrood allowing them to pass laws which would otherwise only be reserved to Westminster.
Ms Sturgeon confirmed that she had written to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson to inform him of the content of her statement and intention to hold the referendum.
But she added: "What I am not willing to do, what I will never do, is allow Scottish democracy to be a prisoner of Boris Johnson or any prime minister."
"Just as in 2014 - and recognised explicitly in the 2013 White Paper - a majority yes vote in this referendum will not in and of itself make Scotland independent," she continued.
"For Scotland to become independent following a yes vote, legislation would have to be passed by the UK and Scottish Parliaments."
A Downing Street spokesman said the government would "carefully study the details of the proposal" from the first minister.
He added that the prime minister "continues to think it's not the time to be talking about a referendum".
Speaking earlier on the final day of the G7 summit, Mr Johnson said the government would "see what she [Nicola Sturgeon] has to say", adding: "I think the important point to make is that we think the number one priority for the country is the economic pressures, the spikes in the cost of energy."
See More: Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland, Scottish Independence
