Europe

Scottish Parliament Supports Independence Referendum Ahead Of Brexit

Scotland's Parliament is backing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's call for a second independence referendum before the U.K. completely leaves the EU.

Scottish Parliament Supports Independence Referendum Ahead Of Brexit
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Scotland's Parliament has backed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's call for another vote on independence. 

The decision comes a day before British Prime Minister Theresa May plans to officially start the Brexit process.

Scotland had a referendum on independence in 2014, but it failed with only 45 percent of voters in favor of leaving the United Kingdom. 

But Sturgeon says Brexit changes things: 62 percent of voters in Scotland wanted to remain in the European Union. That's higher than the percentage of people in England and Wales who voted to leave.

She now has the go-ahead to ask May for a Section 30 order — that would make Scotland's vote for independence legally binding. 

Sturgeon is calling for a referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019, which would fall in the middle of the Brexit process. 

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But politicians in London don't want Scotland to have a referendum until after Brexit is over with, and the U.K. government rejected negotiations for a Scottish referendum. 

In a statement released after the Scottish vote in favor of a second referendum, the U.K. government said it was unfair to Scots to decide on independence when the island's future relationship with the rest of Europe is in question.