First Minister announces date for new IndyRef

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. 

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced the date of a second Scottish independence referendum.

Thursday, 19th October 2023, has been pencilled in by the Scottish government for the day of the independence poll.

In an address to Holyrood, the first minister said: “Last May, the people of Scotland said yes to an independence referendum by electing a clear majority of MSPs committed to that outcome.

“The democratic decision was clear.”

She admitted that being an independent nation “would not be easy”.

However, she said: “Independence will give us the opportunity to chart our own course, to build a wealthier, greener, fairer nation, to be outward-looking an be internationalist, to lift our eyes and learn from the best.

She has said that the Scottish government will seek to take the issue of legality to the Supreme Court.