UK top court rules against Scottish independence vote plan

LONDON — The U.K. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Scotland does not have the power to hold a new referendum on independence without the consent of the British government. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would respect the ruling but continue the fight for independence, saying Scotland’s “democratic right to choose our own future” was at stake. The top court ruled that the Scottish Parliament “does not have the power to legislate for a referendum on Scottish independence.” Supreme Court President Robert Reed said the five justices were unanimous in the verdict, delivered six weeks after lawyers for the pro-independence Scottish administration and the Conservative U.K. government argued their cases at hearings in London. The semi-autonomous Scottish government wants to hold a referendum next October with the question “Should Scotland be an independent country?” The U.K. government in London refuses to approve a vote, saying the question was settled in a 2014 referendum that saw Scottish voters reject independence by a margin of 55% to 45%. They said it is clear that “a Bill which makes provision for a referendum on independence – on ending the sovereignty of the Parliament of the United Kingdom over Scotland — has more than a loose or consequential connection with the sovereignty of that Parliament.” Reed stressed that the court was “not asked, and cannot be asked, to express a view on the political question of whether Scotland should become an independent country.” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the court’s ruling was “clear and definitive.” He urged politicians in Scotland and London to move on and focus on pressing issues such as the U.K.’s cost-of-living crisis.