Severin Carrell
The Guardian
Nicola Sturgeon has triggered a fresh constitutional battle over Scotland’s future after announcing plans to stage a second independence referendum within two years.
Accusing Theresa May of thwarting Scotland’s desire for a special deal with Europe, the first minister confirmed she plans to hold the vote between autumn 2018 and spring 2019 unless the UK government offers substantial last-minute concessions.
Sturgeon said the prime minister’s refusal to discuss full Scottish access to the single market and to threaten heavy restrictions on the new powers for Scotland after Brexit made a second referendum all but inevitable.
Any pretence that the UK was a partnership of equal nations was now dead, Sturgeon said, adding that there had been no attempt to inform the Scottish government that May could invoke article 50 as early as Tuesday.
“The UK government has not moved even an inch in pursuit of compromise and agreement,” Sturgeon said. “Our efforts at compromise have instead been met with a brick wall of intransigence.”
Buoyed by three successive opinion polls putting the yes vote nearly neck and neck with the no vote, Sturgeon’s challenge has dramatically increased the complexities and uncertainties of Brexit negotiations.
Continue this story at the Guardian
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