UK: Supreme Court says decision on Scottish referendum will take months

The British Supreme Court announced that it would take months before it can reach a decision on whether Scotland can hold an independence referendum next year. The comment by the UK’s top court follows Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s plans to hold one next year.

The UK Supreme Court said Tuesday that it would take months before a decision can be made on whether the Scottish government can hold an independence referendum without the approval of the British parliament next year. This comes as Sturgeon has said she wants to hold an independence referendum in October next year but that it must be lawful and internationally recognized.

“It’s likely to be some months before we give our judgement,” said the court’s president, Robert Reed, at the opening of two days of hearings.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss and her predecessor Boris Johnson have also said they would not grant a referendum citing the 2014 event where Scots rejected the motion by 55 percent to 45 percent. Truss and Johnson said that it was a once-in-a-generation event that should not happen again.

However, the Scottish National Party said that the 2016 move by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union changed the circumstances, as the majority of Scottish voters opposed it.

The British Supreme Court has since been asked whether the Scottish government can pass legislation that would allow for a referendum without approval from the British parliament.

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, who is Scotland’s most senior law officer, told the court in London that it was important that the UK Supreme Court to finally resolve whether the Scottish government can hold an independence referendum.

Sturgeon on Sunday expressed confidence that an independence referendum could be held next year. Sturgeon claimed that as voters supported pro-independence parties during the 2021 elections for the Scottish parliament, there would be a mandate for them to introduce a bill to hold the referendum on October 19, 2023.

“Yes, I am confident that will happen,” Sturgeon told BBC TV. “Let’s wait and see what the court says. I am confident Scotland is going to become independent.”

Sturgeon also pledged that a defeat from the Supreme Court would mean that the SNP will challenge the next UK-wide election in 2024 on the platform of whether Scotland should be independent.