THE UK government has formally rejected a call from Scotland’s first minister for a second independence referendum.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a referendum would “continue the political stagnation Scotland has seen for the past decade”.
And he said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had previously pledged that the 2014 referendum would be a “once in a generation” vote.
Ms Sturgeon tweeted that the Tories were attempting to “deny democracy”. And she said the Scottish government would set out its response and “next steps” before the end of the month.
Ms Sturgeon has said she wants to hold a referendum later this year, and made a formal request last month for the UK government to transfer powers to the devolved Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh that would ensure any referendum is legal.
The request came after Ms Sturgeon’s SNP, which forms the Scottish government, won 48 of the 59 seats in Scotland in the UK general election.
In his written response to Ms Sturgeon, the prime minister said he had “carefully considered and noted” her arguments.
But he said: “You and your predecessor (Alex Salmond) made a personal promise that the 2014 independence referendum was a “once in a generation” vote.
“The people of Scotland voted decisively on that promise to keep our United Kingdom together, a result which both the Scottish and UK governments committed to respect in the Edinburgh Agreement.”