Scottish Parliament to Vote on First Minister’s Power for Referendum Next Week
Sturgeon said on Monday that she wanted to ask Scots in a referendum whether or not they wanted Scotland to exit from the United Kingdom between the autumn of 2018 and the spring of 2019.
According to the results of a recent Ipsos MORI poll, 48 percent of Scottish people favored an independent Scotland remaining in the European Union. In 2014, Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom, however, the 2016 Brexit vote showed that Scotland differed from England on the European Union membership, as it backed staying with the bloc by 62 percent against 38 percent.
The United Kingdom held a referendum last June and decided to leave the European Union. UK Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to trigger the Article 50 of the EU Lisbon Treaty by the end of March, thus starting the Brexit process. The House of Lords has supported the amendment to a Brexit legislation obliging May to have a parliamentary vote on the deal.