Following the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020, Scotland has begun taking necessary steps towards holding a referendum on its independence from Britain.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's First Minister made this known on Monday during a press conference in Brussels, Germany.
She said, “We should agree on a process between ourselves and the UK government for a referendum in line with the clear mandate given by the people of Scotland.”
“We are taking in Scotland the steps required to ensure that a referendum can be held that is legal and legitimate so the result can be accepted and agreed both at home and internationally,” she added.
The First Minister explained that in December, her Scottish National Party won 80 per cent of seats in an anti-Brexit and pro-independence platform in Scotland.
This she said indicated that the Scots no longer saw a future shared with Britain.
“If we continue to see support for independence rise, as we have been doing, if we continue to see demand for that choice continue to grow, ultimately you cannot stand in the way of that clear democratic choice,” she said.
Sturgeon noted that a referendum is needed before declaring independence.
Also, UK's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson's pre-Brexit promises of Britain growing the fishing industry and taking back its waters while still having access to the EU is far-fetched.
Sturgeon is making sure Scotland takes the proper steps so as not to have similar political issues as Spain with Catalonia which declared independence following a referendum that was considered illegal by the court which has since 2017 prompted political crisis.
