Second Scottish independence bill to be published next week, Sturgeon says

The Scottish government is to publish a draft bill for a second independence referendum next week, the first minister said on Thursday.

At the SNP conference in Glasgow, Nicola Sturgeon said Scots should be able to reassess their position in the Union before Britain leaves the EU.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she would trigger Article 50 to start formal divorce negotiations with the EU by the end of March 2017, meaning the country could be out by Easter 2019.

Sturgeon said May should respect the 62% of Scottish voters who voted to remain in the EU and that she had a mandate to keep Scotland in the EU.

“The Prime Minister may have a mandate to take England and Wales out of the EU but she has no mandate whatsoever to remove any part of the UK from the single market.

“I am determined that Scotland will have the ability to reconsider the question of independence – and to do so before the UK leaves the EU – if that is necessary to protect our country’s interests.

“So I can confirm today that the independence referendum bill will be published for consultation next week.

She said the SNP would vote against the Brexit bill when it comes to House of Commons next year and called upon MPs from other parties to vote against it.

“We will also work to persuade others – Labour, Liberals and moderate Tories – to join us in a coalition against a hard Brexit: not just for Scotland, but for the whole UK.

“We know that Brexit will damage our economy. Hard Brexit – removal, not just from the EU, but from the single market as well – will be disastrous.”

Sturgeon said the government’s rhetoric and policies on immigration and uncertainty over whether the UK would remain a member of the single market had overtaken Brexit discussions by the “rampant right wing” in the Conservative party which the referendum has given them a “licence for the xenophobia that has long lain under the surface”.

In the first referendum in September 2014, Scots rejected independence by 45% to 55%.

A recent poll by the Herald newspaper from BMG, found that independence does not have a majority with 47% against, 38% for independence and 12% undecided.

Meanwhile, the High Court was hearing a legal challenge over whether ministers can invoke Article 50 without the MPs passing a law.

On Wednesday, the prime minister bowed to pressure allowing Parliament to debate Brexit before she triggers Article 50 after she previously said she would not give a “running commentary”, but ruled out giving MPs a vote.