UK top court rules against Scottish independence vote plan
Deccan ChronicleLONDON: The UK Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Scotland does not have the power to hold a new referendum on independence without the consent of the British government. 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 UK government argued their cases at hearings in London. During Supreme Court hearings last month, Dorothy Bain, the Scottish government's top law officer, said the majority of Scottish lawmakers had been elected on commitments to hold a fresh independence referendum. UK government lawyer James Eadie argued that power to hold a referendum rests with the UK Parliament in London, because it's of critical importance to the United Kingdom as a whole, not just Scotland.