Scotland may try to block Brexit as turmoil spreads

LONDON: Scotland will try and block British efforts to drag it out of the European Union, first minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Sunday, amid tense uncertainty over

LONDON: Scotland will try and block British efforts to drag it out of the European Union, first minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Sunday, amid tense uncertainty over the implementation of a historic referendum that saw United Kingdom (UK) vote to leave the 28-nation bloc.

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Experts are unclear if an agreement between all four UK nations — Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales — is mandatory before London sends a letter to Brussels under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, which stipulates a two-year period for any member-state to leave the EU.

Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU while England and Wales voted to leave, rattling financial markets and forcing PM David Cameron to resign.

Sturgeon said she will “of course” ask Scottish Parliament members to refuse to give their “legislative consent” to Britain leaving the EU, a decision that has been met with disapproval the world over.

“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 said.

Sturgeon’s stand may complicate the EU exit process but is unlikely to prevent it. More than three million people have signed a petition for a second referendum amid demands for independence for London, which overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU. But top politicians say chances of the petitions being successful are dim.

The bloc’s leaders have asked Britain to leave the EU as soon as possible. A nation of five million people, Scotland voted to remain in the UK two years ago but Sturgeon has indicated a new referendum is likely after the results of Friday’s vote, known informally as Brexit.

Experts said the 2014 referendum had hinged on the benefits Scotland’s young economy would gain from Britain’ s EU membership. “The context and the circumstances have changed dramatically. The UK that Scotland voted to remain within in 2014 doesn’t exist anymore,” she told television channels. Sturgeon is keen that Scotland — that voted 62% in favour of EU — remain in the international bloc and is seeking talks with Brussels to protect its interests that include unfettered access to European markets and investment from the continent. The 45-year-old leads the pro-independence Scottish National Party, which has 63 out of 129 seats in the Scottish parliament, as well as 54 out of 650 seats in the House of Commons.

The prospect of re-drawing UK’s borders comes amid mounting desperation and regret among British residents after Friday’s referendum voted 52%-48% to leave the EU after a bitter campaign that saw bitter campaigning over immigration, jobs and a sentiment of “taking Britain back”.