Scottish Parliament vote in favour of holding further referendum on independence

Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; Scottish Gaelic: Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA) have today backed a Government motion calling for the Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) to have the power to hold another independence referendum. MSPs voted by 64 to 54 in favour of the Government's motion, with no abstentions that argued "a referendum should be held so that the people of Scotland can decide whether they wish it to become an independent country". Nicola Sturgeon First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party has requested a section 30 order from the UK government before Christmas, as part of Scottish Government plans to hold a referendum before the end of this year. However, this now brings them into conflict with the British (Westminster) parliament. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will not authorise such a referendum. Nevertheless, the Scottish First Minister is scheduled to set out the "next steps" in the "campaign to secure Scotland's future as an independent nation" on Friday. She has made it clear that it is the people of Scotland who will decide on their own destiny stating; “it must be for this Parliament, not Westminster, to determine when and on what basis an independence referendum should take place.”