Independence constitution on way, says Sturgeon

Scotlands Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

The draft Scottish Independence Bill will be published for consultation before the Scottish Parliament’s summer recess.

Nicola Sturgeon will tell an audience in Cardiff that it will “enshrine Scottish values” and put in place the legal necessities, until a “constitutional convention” prepares a permanent constitution for Scotland in the event of independence.

Ms Sturgeon will make the speech in the Wales Governance Centre Annual Lecture today, two years to the day that Scotland would become independent under the government’s timescale, if there is a Yes vote in September’s referendum.

Ms Sturgeon will say: “Today, the date which will become our independence day following a vote for independence this September, I want everyone in Scotland to consider who we are as a nation and what we have the potential to become.

“Independence is not a historical argument, it is the opposite – a live and vital opportunity to chart our own course, to give us the power to determine our own future and build the kind of country we can all be proud of. A written constitution is an important part of a nation’s identity – it defines who we are and sets out the values we hold dear. Currently we are without a written constitution, and the UK is the only country within the European Union or the Commonwealth that does not have a written constitution or a constitution Act – that is a democratic deficit an independent Scotland will not replicate.

“It is a cornerstone of Scottish democracy that sovereignty rests with the people.”

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