Supreme Court to consider whether Scottish Parliament can hold second independence referendum | UK News
The question of whether the Scottish Parliament can unilaterally declare a second referendum on independence will be heard in the UK Supreme Court from today.
The lawsuit concerns a bill, called the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill, which was proposed in the Scottish Parliament.
Nicola Sturgeon say an independent vote may be held October next year at the earliest.
Judges are asked to determine whether the bill involves “reservations.” So that’s Westminster’s fault, not Holyrood’s.
Ms Sturgeon has asked Scotland’s Chief Legal Officer, Lord Advocate, to refer the bill to the Supreme Court when it published it in June.
This was to avoid legal challenges from opponents, and the prime minister said he wanted a “clearly legal” referendum.
The UK government, represented in court by the Attorney General, is against a second referendum.
In a written submission, the Attorney General argued that the referendum clearly related to reserved matters and fell outside Holyrood’s legislative authority.
He also said the bill had not yet been submitted to the Scottish Parliament and asked the courts to determine whether it had the jurisdiction to hear the case.
Over the weekend, the prime minister spoke to journalists about the upcoming incident while attending the SNP conference in Aberdeen.
Asked if he was confident the Supreme Court would authorize Holyrood to hold a second referendum, Sturgeon said: “I’m very hopeful and optimistic about that.
“But anyone who knows anything about court hearings knows that there is not much point in holding back in court or speculating about the outcome of the court.”
read more:
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https://news.sky.com/story/supreme-court-to-consider-if-scottish-parliament-can-hold-second-independence-referendum-12717739 Supreme Court to consider whether Scottish Parliament can hold second independence referendum | UK News