Ms. Sturgeon said that unless Mrs. May made further concessions, Scots should be able to choose whether to follow other Britons into “a hard Brexit,
or to become an independent country able to secure a real partnership of equals with the rest of the U. K. and our own relationship with Europe.”
She also argued that, in its current, weakened state, and trailing in opinion polls, Britain’s opposition Labour Party stands little chance of winning a general election, and
that independence was the only way for Scots to prevent themselves from being governed — possibly for a decade — by Mrs. May’s Conservative Party, which has limited support in Scotland.
Parliament Clears Way for ‘Brexit’ Talks as Scottish Vow Independence Vote -
By STEPHEN CASTLEMARCH 13, 2017
LONDON — New battle lines were drawn over Britain’s future on Monday, when the government secured unrestricted authority to negotiate withdrawal from the European Union while confronting the possibility
that in doing so, it may bring about an independent Scotland.
Speaking in Edinburgh on Monday morning, Ms. Sturgeon said she would seek permission from the Scottish Parliament to hold a second referendum, which she said should be staged between fall 2018
and spring 2019 — before Britain quits the European Union.
After Monday night’s votes, David Davis, the cabinet minister responsible for negotiating Brexit, said Parliament
had supported the government “in its determination to get on with the job of leaving the E. U.
and negotiating a positive new partnership with its remaining member states.”
“We are now on the threshold of the most important negotiation for our country in a generation,” Mr. Davis added in a statement.