Scotland pushes ahead with referendum

Scotland's government yesterday published a draft independence referendum bill as a fallback plan if it is not able to keep strong ties with the EU and win more powers from London as part of Brexit talks.

The bill would give non-British EU citizens living in Scotland, who were not allowed to take part in the EU referendum, the right to vote on independence.

Scotland voted by 55 percent to stay part of Britain in 2014, but then voted by 62 percent to remain in the European Union in June, sparking a political crisis after Britain as whole voted to leave.

The bill is broadly the same as the original Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 which enabled a vote the following year.

Its opening paragraph states: "A referendum is to be held in Scotland on a question about the independence of Scotland. The question is --'Should Scotland be an independent country?'."

In her foreword to the consultation, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "The UK government's recent statements on its approach to leaving the EU raise serious concerns for the Scottish Government.

"We face unacceptable risks to our democratic, economic and social interests and to the right of the Scottish Parliament to have its say," she said.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said she plans to trigger the formal procedure for leaving the European Union by the end of March, opening up a two-year negotiating window.