Scottish independence: Boris Johnson formally rejects Nicola Sturgeon call for second independence vote

Boris Johnson has formally rejected a call from the Scottish First Minister for Holyrood to be given the power to hold a second independence vote.

In a letter to Nicola Sturgeon, the under-fire Prime Minister said he had “carefully considered” her request – but he insisted that he could “not agree that now is the time to return to a question which was clearly answered by the people of Scotland in 2014”.

Ms Sturgeon said the refusal to grant the Scottish Parliament the power to hold a vote could be one of Mr Johnson’s last acts as Prime Minister.

The letter, which the Scottish First Minister revealed on Twitter, came in the wake of a series of resignations from Government at Westminster, with many Tories now urging the PM to quit.

Ms Sturgeon insisted: “To be clear, Scotland will have the opportunity to choose independence – I hope in a referendum on 19 October, 2023, but if not, through a general election.”

But Mr Johnson told her: “I have carefully considered the arguments you set out for a transfer of power from the UK Parliament to the Scottish Parliament to hold another referendum on independence.

“As our country faces unprecedented challenges at home and abroad, I cannot agree that now is the time to return to a question, which was clearly answered by the people of Scotland in 2014.”

Nicola Sturgeon attends First Minister's Questions. Picture: Fraser Bremner - Pool/Getty Images

Mr Johnson continued: “Our shared priorities must be to respond effectively to the global cost-of-living challenge, to support our NHS and public services as they recover from the huge disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to play our leading part in the international response to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

“These are common challenges across the United Kingdom, which deserve our full attention.”