Nicola Sturgeon pushes second referendum on Scottish independence in hours after SNP election success

Luke O'Reilly14 December 2019
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Nicola Sturgeon has called for a second referendum after the Scottish National Party won 80 per cent of Scotland's seats .

The First Minister spoke at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh after the SNP won 47 of Scotland’s 59 seats.

It comes after Boris Johnson won the biggest majority for the Conservative Party since 1987 on a platform of "getting Brexit done".

However, his party lost seven seats in Scotland, leaving them with just six.

SNP leader Nicola Surgeon celebrates on election night
AFP via Getty Images

“Scotland has rejected Boris Johnson and the Tories and, yet again, we have said no to Brexit,” Ms Sturgeon said.

She added: "During this campaign, I said repeatedly that all elections are important but that this one really mattered. I said the very future of Scotland was on the line. Last night was indeed a watershed moment.

"So, today, as we reflect on the outcome, we should also look ahead. This morning I want to address both the people of Scotland and the Prime Minister directly."

She thanked the people of Scotland for their "overwhelming majority", and called the vote a mandate for remaining in the European Union

"Firstly, it is now clear beyond any doubt that the overwhelming majority of people in Scotland want to remain in the European Union," Mrs Sturgeon said.

"That verdict was first delivered in the referendum in 2016. It was re-inforced in the general election of 2017. It was strengthened in the European election earlier this year. And last night it was emphatically confirmed.

"Westminster has ignored people in Scotland for three years. Last night the people of Scotland said - enough. It is time for Boris Johnson to start listening.

"I accept - regretfully - that he has a mandate for Brexit in England. But he has no mandate whatsoever to take Scotland out of the EU."

General Election Night: December 2019 - In pictures

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Ms Sturgeon announced that the Scottish Government will next week publish the "detailed democratic case" for a transfer of power to enable a second referendum on Scottish independence.

"This is not about asking Boris Johnson or any other Westminster politician for permission," Ms Sturgeon said.

"It is an assertion of the democratic right of the people of Scotland to determine their own future. Given what I fear the Tory government has in store for Scotland, that right to choose our own future has never been more important."

The SNP leader labelled Mr Johnson the leader of a "defeated party" in Scotland and asked that he move out of the way of a second referendum on Scottish independence.

She said: "So, to the Prime Minister, let me be clear. This is not simply a demand that I or the SNP are making. It is the right of the people of Scotland - and you as the leader of a defeated party in Scotland have no right to stand in the way.

"In an independent Scotland we will always get the governments we vote for. We will have full control of the powers and levers needed to build a truly fair and more prosperous country. We can take our place as an equal partner with our closest friends in the rest of the UK and across Europe.

"The people of Scotland have spoken - it is time to decide our own future."

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