By Susana Blaya
Glasgow, UK, (EFE).- The Scottish Parliament approved the government’s proposal on Tuesday to request the transfer of necessary powers from London to hold a second independence referendum, despite repeated rejections by the central government.
The initiative, promoted by First Minister John Swinney, passed with 72 votes in favor and 55 against, thanks to the joint support of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Scottish Greens. These parties maintain a pro-independence majority in the 129-seat regional parliament.
However, the British government led by Labour leader Keir Starmer has publicly reiterated its rejection of authorizing a new sovereignty consultation during the legislative period.
The independence issue has returned to the center of Scottish political debate following the regional elections in May, in which the SNP won 58 seats, and the Scottish Greens won 15, surpassing the absolute majority of 65 seats.
During his speech before the chamber, Swinney argued that independence is a «golden opportunity» for Scotland and asked Parliament to «put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands.»
The nationalist leader also claimed that the May 7 elections produced the largest pro-independence majority in history, and stated that there is a clear democratic mandate to allow Scots to decide their constitutional future.
The First Minister took the opportunity of his first major parliamentary appearance since his reelection to present his new government’s priorities, which focus on the cost of living, public health, economic growth, and the reform of public services.
«I will be a First Minister for all of Scotland, leading a government that is always, always on Scotland’s side,» the SNP leader affirmed, defending the idea that Scottish energy resources should be «in the hands of Scotland.»
Divided opposition
The parliamentary debate evidenced strong political divisions over the constitutional issue at the start of the new Scottish legislature.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay accused the SNP of keeping the country in «constitutional paralysis» and criticized the first major parliamentary debate for not focusing on health or the economy.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar demanded that public services be prioritized and again attacked the SNP after its former chief executive, Peter Murrell (ex-husband of former PM Nicola Sturgeon), pleaded guilty to embezzling over 400,000 pounds (about 539,446 dollars) of funds from the independence party.
Scotland held its first independence referendum in 2014, in which 55% of voters rejected leaving the United Kingdom.
In 2022, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the Scottish Parliament cannot unilaterally call a referendum without prior authorization from the British government.
Despite parliamentary approval of the initiative, the British government continues to refuse to transfer the necessary powers to Scotland to legally hold another sovereignty consultation.
Following the vote, Swinney stated that Scotland’s democratically elected Parliament had spoken and argued that the parliamentary support marked the beginning of a process that will ultimately lead London to accept a new referendum. EFE
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