British Supreme Court says no to Scottish independence referendum

Nov. 23 (UPI) -- The British Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the Scottish government cannot hold an independence referendum, not even one that is non-binding unless it has the approval of Westminster.

The ruling, at least for now, has sidelined plans by Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of holding such a referendum in October 2023. The British government has continued to deny formal approval to put a referendum in front of Scottish voters.

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a 1999 law denies Scotland's Parliament from ruling on issues between it and Britain.

"... A referendum on the question, 'Should Scotland be an independent country?' does relate to matters which have been reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom under the Scotland Act," the court said in its ruling.

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