Sturgeon expects MSPs to bow to her demands for new Scottish independence referendum
THE Scottish Parliament is expected to back Nicola Sturgeon’s bid to drag Scotland out of the UK when they meet later today for the postponed Holyrood vote.
Sturgeon and May hold meeting behind closed doors
The minority SNP government trust that the Scottish Greens will help them pass the motion asking for a “Section 30” order to pursue another independence vote.
Theresa May is expected to reject the calls for a new vote in the immediate future saying "now is not the time" to discuss a referendum.
Sturgeon is confident Scottish MSPs will back her demands
The Tory leader met the Scottish First Minister to “briefly” discuss a second independence referendum ahead of triggering Article 50.
The Prime Minister is thought to have dominated the conversation by discussing the triggering of the Brexit process and a policing exercise – and did not allow Mrs Sturgeon to get a word in edgeways when it came to a Scottish vote for independence.
Sturgeon stunned May when she announced her plans for a fresh independence vote some time between autumn 2018 and spring 2019, claiming her requests for a different Brexit deal for Scotland to the rest of the UK had been ignored by the Prime Minister.
The original Holyrood debate was suspended following the Westminster terror attack as the presiding officer Ken Macintosh, the Scottish version of John Bercow, claimed the incident was affecting the contributions of MSPs.
Holyrood referendum debate suspended after Westminster attack
People of Scotland don’t want this
Macintosh said that was “an expression of our support for our sister Parliament” in London.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, at the previous debate, tore into Sturgeon telling her the “people of Scotland don’t want this”.
Davidson is angered by Sturgeon pushing her own agenda at an important time for the union
Sturgeon claims she wants the referendum “to give the people of Scotland a choice over the future direction and governance of their country”.
She added that Scotland could not “simply drift through the next two years, crossing our fingers, hoping for the best while fearing the worst”.
Dugdale is adament Sturgeon will not be swayed by May's promise to offer her a deal
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale also opposed a second vote, she said: “Brexit isn't the motivation for another referendum, it's just the latest excuse.”
In 2014 more than 55 per cent of Scottish voters chose to remain a part of Britain in a vote that Alex Salmond called a “once in a lifetime opportunity”.