MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Sturgeon sent a letter to Downing Street formally requesting London for a second Scottish independence referendum, two days after UK Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, thus kick-starting two-year Brexit talks with the European Union.
“I think what we are seeing in Scotland is some very cynical political posturing on the part of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish National Party [SNP], who are trying to milk the Brexit process for their own benefit … The United Kingdom government is now negotiating the withdrawal on behalf of the entire country … Given First Minister Sturgeon’s opportunistic and narrow-viewed approach to the whole process, I do not anticipate any agreement between Westminster and Holyrood on these issues,” Parker said.
Last week, May stated that it was not the right time for Scotland’s independence vote to be held and that it is necessary to wait until after the Brexit talk results are finalized.
"I think, if the people of Scotland truly want a second referendum, then they should have one, but only after the Brexit negotiations are finished. They need to know what they are voting for… The whole of the United Kingdom needs to see how the Brexit negotiations play out before we start indulging the obsessions of the SNP," Parker said.
The first Scottish independence referendum was held in September 2014, when 55 percent of voters opposed leaving the United Kingdom. Last year's Brexit vote, however, stirred pro-independence sentiment as Scotland wanted to stay in Europe by a margin of 62 against 38 percent. Sturgeon said she would apply to join the European Union after parting ways with London.
