London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Scottish National Party promise independence referendum after election win

Scottish National Party promise independence referendum after election win

The Scottish National Party is promising to hold a second independence referendum after election results announced Saturday saw pro-independence candidates gain a majority in the Scottish parliament.

The results from Thursday's vote have put the issue firmly back on the table and set the stage for a clash with London.

In her victory speech, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her Scottish National Party (SNP) -- which wants to break away from the United Kingdom -- had delivered a "historic and extraordinary" win after finishing with 64 seats in the Scottish parliament, one short of a majority.

Combined with the eight seats won by Scottish Greens, pro-independence parties now control 72 of the parliament's 129 seats. The Conservative party won 31 seats, Labour won 22, and the Liberal Democrats four seats.

Sturgeon said that although her priority was to "lead Scotland through the pandemic and to keep people safe," her party still intends to ask for a second referendum on whether to end the nation's 300-year-old union with England.

Sturgeon also warned that "any Westminster politician" who tries to stand in the way of a referendum is not "picking a fight with the SNP, you're picking a fight with the democratic wishes of the Scottish people."

The comments are likely directed at UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose permission is needed to hold a referendum in Scotland. He has so far refused a second vote, saying a 2014 referendum -- in which Scots voted to remain in the United Kingdom -- was a once-in-a-generation event.

"I think a referendum in the current context is irresponsible and reckless," Johnson told the Daily Telegraph on Friday.

One of Johnson's senior Cabinet ministers on Sunday repeatedly avoided answering the questions of how the government would handle a second independence referendum.

Asked on Sky News if the government would go to the Supreme Court if the Scottish parliament passed a bill to hold a referendum, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said "we're not going to go there."

Johnson has invited Sturgeon to join a UK-wide Covid recovery summit and, in a letter, said the United Kingdom was "best served when we work together."

"We will all have our own perspectives and ideas -- and we will not always agree -- but I am confident that by learning from each other we will be able to build back better, in the interests of the people we serve," Johnson wrote.

The prospect of a second independence referendum has been on the cards ever since the 2016 Brexit referendum, when 62% in Scotland voted to remain in the European Union.

Speaking on the BBC's "The Andrew Marr Show" on Sunday, Sturgeon again insisted that voters' support for her party -- which claimed a fourth consecutive win -- gave her a clear mandate to pursue a referendum.

"In this election they have voted overwhelmingly for the SNP and we stood on a manifesto commitment to firstly... continue to steer the country through the Covid pandemic, but after the crisis to give the people of Scotland the opportunity to choose our own future in a referendum," she said.

"The fact that we are sitting here having a debate about whether or not that outcome is going to be respected says a lot about the lack of respect for Scottish democracy that this UK Government has demonstrated over quite some time now."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×