Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wrote a letter to UK Prime Minister Theresa May on March 31, formally asking for a second referendum to be held on Scottish independence.
She repeated her request to hold the referendum on secession in 18-24 months, when the terms of Brexit become clearer, but before Britain’s divorce with EU is completed.
Scotland’s devolved Parliament voted in favor of the referendum on March 28, but it still needs approval from the U.K. government to hold one.
The U.K. government has already said that it would reject the vote and that any referendum should happen after the Brexit process is completed.
Sturgeon’s letter comes two days after May officially triggered Article 50, the mechanism, which allows the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.
The U.K. remains divided since the Brexit referendum in June, in which England and Wales voted to leave the EU but Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay.
The Scottish government posteda picture of Sturgeon on its Twitter page with a caption that read, “First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Bute House, Edinburgh, working on final draft of Section 30 letter to Prime Minister Theresa May.”
Under a Section 30 order, the U.K. government can temporarily transfer power to the Scottish government to organize a referendum. The letter is expected to be delivered to May later in the day, according to media reports.
