The Scottish government will continue to push for a repeat of the “gold standard” set by the 2014 independence referendum process, said Secretary of the Constitution Angus Robertson.
But he declined to comment on reports that Nicola Sturgeon plans to call a “softer” consultative referendum to circumvent Westminster’s ongoing refusal to give Holyrood the power to hold a legal vote.
Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Sunday show, Robertson said: “These are quite right, issues that need to be announced in the Scottish Parliament, and Prime Minister Nicholas Sturgeon has said he intends to make such an update before the summer holidays.
“I will not be able to give you a brief overview of this message, but what I would say is that the preferred route for all, given that we have a precedent [in 2014]and works, [is a section 30 order granted by the UK government, transferring the necessary powers to Holyrood] … If it was possible then, there is no reason why it is not possible now. And it really is for those others who seek to block democracy to explain why. “
Robertson confirmed last week that the SNP government plans to hold a second referendum in October next October, as Sturgeon released the first in a series of documents outlining a renewed case for independence and traced plans for a legally secure alternative to a new vote. will lead to long challenges for the UK Supreme Court.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said after a statement last week that he would boycott any wild cat referendum, but Sturgeon has always ruled out a Catalan-style poll.
Writing in the Sunday Times, Kiaran Martin, the former constitutional director of the UK government who helped agree on the framework for the 2014 referendum, said senior SNP figures were considering a consultative path: “Edinburgh talks are smart legal wheezing when “softer legislation is being drafted; perhaps instead of a referendum on independence, the bill is about something like asking the people of Scotland for a mandate to start independence negotiations with the United Kingdom. Something like this – often incorrectly described as a deliberative referendum – may have a better chance in court, although many experts are skeptical.
The UK government has consistently ruled out the possibility of issuing a Section 30 order, but Sturgeon believes he has an electoral mandate to hold a referendum with or without Westminster’s consent after the SNP won its fourth consecutive election at Holyrood last May.
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The 2014 referendum, which the country won by 55% to 45%, was called after then-Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to issue a Section 30 order, as Alex Salmond, then-Prime Minister, won a landslide victory in the election. Holyrood in 2011.
In early June, opposition parties called on the Scottish government to “clarify once and for all” whether it has the power to pass laws for a second referendum in Holyrood.
A limited selection of legal advice was published on Tuesday after a long battle for freedom of information with the Scotsman newspaper, but the key question of whether the SNP government was informed that a second independence referendum bill was within the Scottish Parliament’s remit was not included. disclosure.
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