Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon threatens to veto Brexit

Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the country will block the UK from leaving the European Union. Following the surprising Brexit result on Friday, in which Britain voted to exit the EU in 52-48 votes, the Scotland Parliament is set to block the move.

All 32 areas of Scotland voted for the UK to remain during the EU referendum on Thursday. However, the overall result for the UK still leaned towards the exit side.

Sturgeon said the Scottish National Party MPs would seek to block UK’s exit from the EU. When asked by BBC Scotland presenter Gordon Brewer if she would consider asking the parliament not to give their consent, she replied, “of course.”

“If the Scottish Parliament was judging this on the basis of what’s right for Scotland, then the option of saying, ‘Look, we’re not to vote for something that’s against Scotland’s interest,’ of course that’s got to be on the table,” she replied.

“Don’t get me wrong, I care about the rest of the UK. I care about England. That’s why I’m so upset at the UK-wide decision that’s been taken.”

Stopping the UK from leaving the EU, if Scotland has indeed such power, would inevitably anger the British people. Sturgeon acknowledged this but also said that their anger is just similar to the Scottish people’s fury of being taken out of the European Union against their will.

The SNP holds 63 of the 129 Scottish Parliament seats. According to the SNP manifesto, the Holyrood Palace has the right to hold another referendum if such circumstances happened. Sturgeon said on Friday that another Scottish independence referendum was “highly likely.”

She described Scotland being dragged out of the EU “democratically unacceptable,” adding that she had spoken with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who shared the same view as her. London, as well as Northern Ireland, voted in favour of Remain.

Following the Brexit win on Friday, British Prime Minister David Cameron has announced his resignation. He will officially leave his post in October. Boris Johnson is a possible contender for the role.

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