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John Swinney Unveils Draft Scottish Independence Referendum Bill
The draft sets out a clear referendum question and voting rules as Swinney presses the UK government for devolved powers.
- On Friday, First Minister John Swinney published a draft Independence Referendum Bill, proposing the ballot question "Should Scotland be an independent country?" and defining the franchise for a potential second vote.
- Legal authority to authorize such a referendum remains reserved to Westminster, as confirmed by a 2022 Supreme Court ruling, despite the Scottish Government's plans to introduce the bill once powers are secured.
- Registered voters over 16, including qualifying foreign nationals, would be eligible to vote under the legislation; the bill will sit on the shelf until "the necessary powers are secured," the Scottish Government said.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham has rejected calls for a second vote, stating in July that a referendum remains "off limits" for the Labour administration.
- Swinney, who faced recent SNP criticism regarding the conference agenda, said he will have "more to say about Scotland's constitutional future in the coming weeks.
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(London=Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Ji-yeon = The Scottish autonomous government has prepared and released a draft bill for a referendum to directly ask residents whether they support or oppose independence, and the UK...
·Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left5Leaning Right2Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 30%
R 20%
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