Top UK court rules against Scotland independence vote

The UK Supreme Court says Scotland cannot hold a second independence referendum without the UK Parliament's approval. The ruling deals a blow to Scottish nationalists but is unlikely to settle the long-running issue.

Scotland does not have the power to hold a new referendum on independence without the say-so of the British Parliament, the UK Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday.

"The Scottish Parliament does not have the power to legislate for a referendum on Scottish independence," Robert Reed, the president of the court, said.

The court's verdict represents a blow to the semi-autonomous Scottish government's wish to hold a referendum next October on whether the country should break away from the United Kingdom.  

The Conservative government in London has so far refused to approve such a vote, referring to a 2014 referendum in which Scottish voters rejected independence.

However, Wednesday's ruling is not likely to put an end to the Scottish independence drive, which has been since fueled by differences over the UK's exit from the European Union. A majority of people in Scotland voted to remain within the bloc in 2016.

UK obviously not a 'voluntary partnership': Sturgeon

Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said on Twitter she was "disappointed" by the ruling but accepted it. "A law that doesn't allow Scotland to choose our own future without (UK Parliament) consent exposes as myth any notion of the UK as a voluntary partnership," she wrote.

Sturgeon has already promised that defeat at the Supreme Court would mean her Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) would make the next UK-wide election, scheduled for 2024, a "de facto" independence referendum.

Scots make up some 5.5 million of the overall 68 million population of the United Kingdom, which binds together England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.(Reuters, AP)