Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has insisted there is an “indisputable mandate” for a second independence referendum.
Speaking in Edinburgh, he said he planned to give a “major update to parliament very soon” on a new poll, after Scottish voters rejected independence in 2014.
Ms Sturgeon argued that under Westminster control, Scotland was “held back” and that there was a “strong and compelling” case for leaving the UK.
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The Prime Minister said she had been chosen “with a clear commitment to giving the people of Scotland the option of becoming an independent country”.
He added: “In their day-to-day lives, the people of Scotland are suffering from the impacts of rising cost of living, low growth and growing inequality, limited public finances and the many implications of a Brexit. that we did not vote.
“All these problems have gotten worse or, more obviously, in the case of Brexit, directly caused by the fact that we are not independent.
“So at this critical juncture we are facing a fundamental question.
“Do we remain tied to a UK economic model that leads us to relatively poor economic and social outcomes that are likely to worsen, not improve, outside the EU?
“Or do we look up with hope and optimism and be inspired by comparable countries in Europe?”
Ms Sturgeon claimed that if the UK government “had any respect for democracy” it would grant an Article 30 order, which would allow a legally binding referendum to be held, as happened in 2014.
He said he had made it clear to Boris Johnson that she was “ready to discuss the terms of this order at any time.”
But he said his previous refusals to grant such an order meant that it should be considered whether a referendum could be held by other means.
A spokesman for Downing Street said: “The UK government’s position is that now is not the time to talk about another referendum.
“We are confident that the people of Scotland want and expect their governments to work together to focus on issues such as the global challenge of the cost of living, the war in Europe and the issues that matter to their families.”