Sturgeon to set out 'unarguable' case for indyref2

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to call on the UK government to transfer powers to Holyrood that would ensure any independence vote was legal.

In the wake of the recent General Election result, in which the SNP won 48 of the 59 seats in Scotland, Sturgeon will publish a document laying out a ‘detailed case’ for indyref2, saying that the case for a new independence referendum is now ‘unarguable’.

The government in Westminster remains opposed to holding another referendum, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterating that the 2014 referendum result should be respected. That referendum resulted in the public backing remaining in the UK by 55 per cent to 45 per cent.

Sturgeon wants to hold another referendum in the second half of 2020, with her Right to Choose report setting out how ‘consensus is growing by the day’, and that there is a ‘clear mandate for this nation to choose its own future’. She will also call on the UK government to drop its opposition and agree to grant a so-called section 30 order to put the legality of any referendum beyond doubt - as happened ahead of the 2014 referendum.

Sturgeon will say: "The demand for this country to have the right to determine its own path comes not just from me as first minister - it flows from the people of Scotland and the verdict they delivered last week. The Scottish government believes that right should be exercised free from the threat of legal challenge. We understand that a referendum must be accepted as legitimate, here in Scotland and the UK, as well as in the EU and the wider international community. Today I urge people in Scotland to rally round the case for Scotland's right to choose - our right to self-determination."

Most polls still generally give a slender lead to the pro-UK side.