Scottish First Minister Sturgeon Calls on EU to Support Independence Movement

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2020) Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Thursday has called on the European Union to support the growing calls for independence in Scotland as the bloc's leaders meet at the ongoing European Council summit.

In a letter published by the German broadcaster Welt, Sturgeon said that Scotland has no current say in the ongoing negotiations between the UK and the EU over their future relationship.

The first minister criticized the decision of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government to introduce the controversial Internal Market Bill in September, which looks to make amendments to the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement negotiated between London and Brussels signed earlier in the year.

In the June 2016 Brexit referendum, Scottish voters were 62 percent in favor of remaining in the European Union, although this was not enough to prevent the Leave campaign from winning in the UK as a whole. In her letter, Sturgeon made reference to this vote, adding that her government is convinced that Scotland's future lies as an independent country that is a member of the European Union.

In a fresh poll published on Wednesday, Ipsos MORI found that support among the Scottish public for independence from the UK has reached a record high 58 percent.

Scotland held its first independence referendum back in September 2014, although 55 percent of voters expressed their desire to remain in the United Kingdom.