Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon calls for general elections after Liz Truss exit

With Liz Truss resigning as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after serving only 45 days in office, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Thursday, October 20, suggested that there should be General Elections in the country following the UK PM's resignation. Notably, Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. 

"There must be a general election, it is a democratic necessity. This is an almighty mess, and it's people the length and breadth of the UK who are paying the price," said Sturgeon. 

Earlier, in her resignation speech, Truss informed that there will be a leadership election in the party that is to be completed within the next week. 

This comes at a time when Scotland is seeking Independence from the UK. On October 11, judges at the UK’s highest court began hearing evidence on whether Scotland’s Parliament can legislate to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence. Notably, in a 2014 referendum, Scottish voters rejected independence by a margin of 55% to 45%. 

Earlier, Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National Party, said if her government loses the court case, she will make the next U.K. national election a de facto plebiscite on ending Scotland’s three-century-old union with England.

Scottish First Minister calls for new independence vote in 2023

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she wants to hold a new independence vote in October 2023, despite opposition from the Conservative UK government in London. Sturgeon is asking the UK Supreme Court to rule on whether the Scottish parliament can organise a referendum without consent from the UK-wide government.

Dorothy Bain, the Scottish government’s top law officer, outlined her case to a panel of five judges. She said the majority of Scottish lawmakers have been elected on commitments to hold a fresh independence referendum. “The issue of Scottish independence is a live and significant one in Scottish electoral politics, and the Scottish government wish to introduce a bill in the Scottish Parliament to provide for the holding of a referendum,” Bain told the court.

Sturgeon has said she wants to push on with her campaign to take Scotland out of the United Kingdom. She has argued that politics has changed in key ways since 2014 because of Britain’s departure from the European Union — which Scottish voters did not favor — and that her Scottish National Party has a clear democratic mandate to bring about a referendum.

Like Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland has its own devolved government and makes its own policies on issues including health and education. The U.K.-wide government in London controls fiscal policy, defense and other matters.

(With AP Inputs)