Overview
- The Scottish Parliament voted 72–55 to back First Minister John Swinney’s motion calling for a Section 30 order to devolve powers to Holyrood so it can hold a legally recognised second independence referendum.
- Downing Street immediately rejected the call and said the UK Government does not support another referendum, a response that leaves Holyrood’s motion symbolic rather than legally binding.
- Swinney said the vote showed a parliamentary mandate and plans to press Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the issue in scheduled talks in June.
- The push for IndyRef2 comes as the SNP faces a major governance crisis after former party chief executive Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000, a development critics say damages the credibility and timing of the referendum drive.
- Opposition leaders and former SNP figures argued the new parliament should prioritise NHS, cost-of-living and public services, while analysts say the dispute underscores a deeper intergovernmental standoff that will shape whether any route to a second referendum can be agreed.