In a letter to Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Johnson said on Wednesday, July 6, that he had “carefully considered the arguments he made for a transfer of power from the UK Parliament to the Scottish Parliament” for the purpose of holding another referendum. on the independence of the region.
However, Johnson said he could not agree “that now is the time to re-ask a question that was clearly answered by the people of Scotland in 2014, at a time when our country faces unprecedented challenges at home and abroad. ”.
For his part, Sturgeon published the letter through his official Twitter profile and said: “I just received this from Johnson (one of his last acts as prime minister?)”.
Sturgeon assured that “ Scotland will have the opportunity to choose independence, I hope that in a referendum on October 19, 2023, if not, through general elections” and pointed out that “Scottish democracy will not be a prisoner of this or any other Prime Minister”.
Last month, Sturgeon announced that Scotland could hold a second independence referendum on October 19, 2023, explaining that the purpose of the measure is “to find out the views of the Scottish people on whether Scotland should be an independent country or not.”
He also said that the referendum must be legal and that the Scottish Government will reveal what it will do if the Government in London blocks such a vote.
Scotland’s first referendum on independence was held just two years before the historic Brexit vote.
After the negative result of the referendum, the Government of then Prime Minister David Cameron promised a better understanding of the Scots from England and “new broader powers” for the Scottish Parliament.
Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party had every confidence that Scotland would survive, and even be better off, outside the UK, thanks to its North Sea oilfields, world-famous single malt whisky, textiles, jet engines and various banking and financial services.
However, the idea was rejected by 55.3% of Scots compared to 44.7% yes.