LONDON (Reuters) – The Scottish National Party published a “Roadmap for the Referendum” on Saturday, outlining plans for another vote on Scottish independence as the United Kingdom struggles against COVID-19 and the impact of Brexit.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who would have to agree to a new referendum, argues that there is no need for a new vote after independence was rejected by Scottish voters in 2014.
But the SNP said that if it wins a parliamentary majority in the elections scheduled for May 6, it will pass its own bill so that a referendum can take place as soon as the pandemic is over.
He says the UK government will either have to agree to this or take legal action to challenge the legal basis of the referendum.
“Such a legal challenge would be vigorously tackled by a Scottish SNP government,” said the document, dated Jan. 24.
Polls show that Scottish nationalists are on their way to winning a record majority in elections to Scotland’s delegated parliament.
Scots voted 55-45% against independence in a 2014 referendum, but Brexit and the British government’s manipulation of the COVID-19 crisis have increased support for the SNP, with most polls showing a majority now in favor of the disruption.
A poll published on The Times website on Saturday showed another potential threat to the UK’s future, with 51% of Northern Ireland voters saying they are in favor of a referendum on its future in the next five years, compared with 44 % that are opposed.
Support for united Ireland is 42%, according to the polls, against 47% who oppose Northern Ireland leaving the UK.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Christina Fincher)