Supreme Court independence case costs rise to almost £115,000 for taxpayers

The cost to the taxpayer of the Scottish Government’s legal fight to hold a second independence referendum has risen to almost £115,000, new figures show.

The Lord Advocate referred the question of whether the Scottish Parliament has the power to pass a referendum bill which would see a second independence referendum take place, to the Supreme Court earlier this year.

Hearings are set to take place on October 11 and 12 in London.

Judges will hear arguments from leadings KCs on the question of Holyrood’s competency and whether the bill would be within its powers.

The question of whether the reference is premature due to the lack of a fully amended, scrutinised, and passed bill, will also be considered.

In total, the legal costs for the Scottish Government relating to the case have risen to £113,955, new figures published on Friday show.

Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to fight the next general election as a ‘de facto’ referendum if the Scottish Government lose the case.

All episodes of the brand new limited series podcast, How to be an independent country: Scotland’s Choices, are out now.

It is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.