The Supreme Court of Great Britain is considering from Tuesday, October 11, the request of the Scottish government to hold a new referendum on independence without the consent of London, which believes that such a vote can only happen once in a generation, according to Le Figaro, which quotes Rador.

Despite repeated refusals from the British government, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the independence party SNP, announced in June that she wanted to hold a new referendum on the independence of the British nation in 2023.

Anticipating a legal confrontation with the government in London, she took the initiative in petitioning the Supreme Court to determine whether the Scottish Parliament had the power to legislate on the matter without the consent of the British government.

“If Westminster[the executive in London]had any respect for Scottish democracy, this court case would not be necessary,” Nicola Sturgeon blasted at her party’s convention on Monday.

“The issue was always supposed to end in court, sooner or later – and better sooner,” she added, reminding that if the Supreme Court rules in her favor, an “advisory” referendum on independence will take place on October 19, 2023. .

“Should Scotland be an independent country?” she asks Scots, who according to polls are still very divided on the issue.

Look at this thread already in 2014, they voted 55% to stay in the UK. But separatists believe Brexit is a game-changer, with 62% of Scots opposed and wanting Scotland to join the European Union as an independent state.

Based on the results of the first referendum, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected the prospect of a new plebiscite, saying that such a vote could only happen “once in a generation”.

The new Prime Minister of Great Britain, Liz Truss, was very firm, assuring that she would “not authorize” a referendum. “I am very clear that there should not be another referendum until the next generation,” she said.

If, after lawyers argue over the prerogatives of the Scottish Parliament, the Supreme Court rules in Nicola Sturgeon’s favor and allows the local government to hold a new vote, the Scottish leader wins the bet.

And in case of defeat in court, she has already warned that she will use the next legislative elections, scheduled for 2024, as a “de facto referendum”, campaigning only on the issue of independence.

The SNP won the 2021 local elections by promising to hold a new referendum after the pandemic, arguing that “the right to self-determination is a fundamental and inalienable right”.

Edinburgh wants to break free from central government and create its own legislative framework for a referendum, but London opposes this, arguing that Scotland cannot unilaterally decide on an issue such as the union of the United Kingdom.

“The court is unlikely to rule in the SNP’s favour, but those who support Scotland in the UK should not see this as a final victory,” said Akash Paun of the Institute for Government.

Supreme Court judges begin hearing the case at 10:30 am (09:30 GMT) and are expected to make a decision within six to eight weeks. However, if it were to take place, such a referendum would only be “advisory” and London would have to agree to the independence of the Scottish nation.