'We Don't Want Johnson, We Don't Want Brexit' Scottish Say

Leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon poses outside her bus as she embarks on a campaign trail in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, Dec. 11, 2019. | Photo: Reuters

In the general elections held in the United Kingdom on Thursday, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won 48 of its country's 59 seats at the national parliament, which strengthens the position of Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in favor of convening a second independence referendum.

"Boris Johnson may have a mandate to take England out of the European Union (EU). He emphatically does not have a mandate to take Scotland out of the EU," Sturgeon said.

"Scotland has sent a very clear message: we don't want a Boris Johnson government and we don't want to leave the EU," she added.

The SNP obtained 45 percent of the votes on Thursday, which represents a figure similar to the number of votes in favor of ‘Yes’ during the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence.

On that occasion, 55 percent of Scots spoke in favor of staying in the U.K.; however, Sturgeon believes that Brexit has changed the political circumstances that favored such a result.

Therefore, the First Minister will send a letter to the British government headquarters before Christmas to demand a new referendum.

Meanwhile, through a telephone conversation with Sturgeon on Friday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterated his opposition to a second pro-independence referendum.

A spokesperson for Johnson's office reported that the conservative politician informed the Scottish First Minister about his "unwavering commitment" to strengthening the United Kingdom.

"He made it clear that he maintains his opposition to a second referendum. He is on the side of the majority of Scots, who do not want division and uncertainty to return," the spokesperson said.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the feeling that a second referendum has acquired greater political legitimacy is spreading.

"The SNP vote share in Scotland is just higher than the Tory vote share in the UK. So if Johnson has just been given a resounding mandate for Brexit, then the SNP has just been given a resounding mandate for Independence," human rights defender and former British Ambassador Craig Murray said.

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