SNP will treat next UK general election as 'de facto referendum', Sturgeon says | ITV News
Nicola Sturgeon has said the SNP will treat the next UK general election as a "de facto referendum" after the UK's highest court ruled the Scottish Parliament cannot hold a second independence referendum without Westminster's consent. UK Supreme Court President Lord Reed announced the unanimous judgment on Wednesday after Scotland’s top law officer referred a prospective Bill to the court. Ms Sturgeon said she respects the courts conclusion. However, she insisted the ruling "exposes as myth" the idea that UK is a voluntary union, adding that the outcome was a “tough pill for any independence supporter to swallow”. She said she expects Westminster to maintain its position of "outright democracy denial", a position which she called "unsustainable". • Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj • Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news Follow ITV News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itvnews/ Follow ITV News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/itvnews Follow ITV News on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itvnews/
