Holyrood should choose timing of independence referendum, Nicola Sturgeon says
File photo dated 29/6/2016 of thousands of Remain supporters gather outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, to show their support for the European Union in the wake of Brexit. The Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a new independence referendum should be held between autumn 2018 and spring 2019. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday March 13, 2017. See PA story POLITICS Brexit Scotland. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire
Nicola Sturgeon has warned Downing Street there should be "no blocking mechanisms" applied to her plans for a second independence referendum.
The First Minister also insisted the timing of the referendum should be determined by Scotland and not by London.
Speaking after a meeting of her senior ministerial team, Ms Sturgeon said: "Cabinet today agreed that the referendum must be for Scotland's national legislature to shape.
"It should be up to the Scottish Parliament to determine the referendum's timing, franchise and the question."
Prime Minister Theresa May was barracked by MPs as she told the House of Commons she had been "working closely" with the Scottish Government on preparations for Brexit.
In a swipe at Ms Sturgeon's plans for an independence referendum, Mrs May told the Commons: "This is not a moment to play politics or create uncertainty. It is a moment to bring our country together, to honour the will of the British people and to shape for them a better, brighter future and a better Britain."
