Scottish leader calls for new independence vote next year

LONDON (AP) — Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has told lawmakers in Edinburgh that she plans to hold a fresh referendum on Scottish independence on Oct. 19, 2023. Sturgeon said Tuesday that the question to be asked will be the same as that in Scotland’s 2014 independence vote: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” Scottish voters rejected independence in the 2014 referendum, with 55% of voters saying they wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom. The U.K.-wide government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson  opposes a new referendum and has said the issue was settled in the 2014 vote. The referendum would need a green light from Johnson’s government.