Scottish independence will be back on the ballot within the next two years if First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has her way. The leader of the Scottish National Party has said she will ask the Scottish Parliament to take the necessary steps to begin approving the referendum, which she hopes will be held between the fall of 2018 and spring of 2019.
In September of 2014, Scots voted 55 percent to 45 percent to remain a part of the United Kingdom. But circumstances have changed since then. Last June, the U.K. voted to leave the European Union, but Scots were firmly opposed, with 62 percent voting to remain.
Sturgeon’s request comes as Britain’s parliament closes in on a vote to begin the Brexit process and after, she says, attempts to negotiate a compromise with U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May. Sturgeon has reportedly pursued a deal that would allow Scotland to remain in the E.U but has described May’s response to that as a “brick wall of intransigence.”
Sturgeon’s gambit has no guarantee of success, though. Even if she gets her independence vote and flips the result from last time, Scotland would not gain automatic admission into the EU.
