Prime Minister Boris Johnson formally rejected a request from the Scottish government on Tuesday (January 14th) to allow a new referendum on the independence of Scotland, largely opposed to Brexit, to be held.
In a letter to Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, also leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Johnson said that the previous consultation on this topic, held in 2014, was a ballot that happened that"Once in a generation". The Scots then voted 55.3% against independence.
"The British government will continue to respect the democratic decision of the Scottish people and the promise you made to them" to respect it, he wrote in the mail. "This is why I cannot accept a transfer of power (for the benefit of local government) to organize a future independence referendum. "
"No positive argument"
Nicola Sturgeon had officially asked in December for a new regional independence vote to be held in 2020, as she believed the impending Brexit had completely changed the game. Scotland had in fact voted in June 2016 to 62% against leaving the European Union (EU), but the province will be forced to leave the EU on January 31, like the rest of the United Kingdom.
"This reaction was predictable, but it is also untenable and self-destructive", reacted Mme Sturgeon in a statement, accusing the Conservatives in power of being "Terrified of Scotland's right to choose". "They know that if we are given a choice, we will choose independence", she said, saying that Boris Johnson’s party had "No positive argument in favor" of maintaining the nation within the United Kingdom.
