A letter informing Prime Minister Theresa May of the Scottish government’s official request to hold a second independence referendum has been delivered to Downing Street.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon signed the Section 30 letter requesting transfer of powers to Holyrood on Friday morning.
May’s government has already said it will decline the request, however.
“As you are aware, the Scottish Parliament has now determined by a clear majority that there should be an independence referendum,” Sturgeon wrote.
“The purpose of such a referendum is to give people in Scotland the choice of following the UK out of the EU and single market on the terms you negotiate, or becoming an independent country, able to chart our own course and build a genuine partnership of equals with the other nations of the UK.
“I am therefore writing to begin early discussions between our governments to agree an Order under section 30 of the Scotland Act 1998 that would enable a referendum to be legislated for by the Scottish Parliament.”
On Tuesday Scottish MSPs voted 69 to 59 in favor of requesting another referendum, which would be held sometime between autumn 2018 and spring 2019.