Nicola Sturgeon requests fresh independence referendum

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she had formally requested another independence referendum in a letter to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader told reporters in Edinburgh: “We are a nation, no better or worse than any other... As a nation, our future, whatever we choose that to be, must be in the hands of people that live here.”

The announcement also comes after last week’s UK General Election, where the SNP won 48 of the country’s 59 available seats, 13 more than the pro-independence party won in 2017.

The Scottish government has said it wants a legal referendum that is respected by the wider international community.

Brexit has been one of the key issues for independence since 2016 as SNP voters feel Scotland has a lack of political self-determination after two thirds of its voters opted to remain in the European Union. Sturgeon said that result had “raised questions about our voice and our democracy.”

Johnson already indicated that he would reject any fresh call to allow another vote on Scotland’s independence, arguing the result of the last referendum in 2014 should be respected..

Speaking Thursday, Sturgeon said she would “consider all reasonable options to secure Scotland’s right to self-determination”. She has however rejected the idea of holding an unofficial referendum similar to the one in Spain's Catalonia in 2017.

Sturgeon said a document containing her arguments and draft legislation will be sent to the UK government today.