Nicola Sturgeon has maintained that Scotland will be an independent country by 2025.
In an interview with ITV Tonight that will be aired on Monday night, Sturgeon said the second vote on Scottish independence will take place towards the end of 2018 or in the early part of 2019.
When asked if she thought the UK would have split by 2025, the Scottish First Minister said: “I think Scotland will be independent, yes, but, you know, that’s a choice for the Scottish people.”
“Look, you’re putting arbitrary dates in my … you know, I believe Scotland will be independent, I’ve always believed that.” she added when pressed for a date.
The reason the vote will be towards the end of 2018 will be so Scottish voters can make a decision based on the Brexit deal.
“The point of principle for me is the end of the process,” Sturgeon said.
“Now, why I set out those dates is that that is what Theresa May is telling us right now the end of the process will be.
“She has said that the terms of the Brexit deal, the new relationship with Europe, will be known before the UK exits the EU in the spring of 2019. Now, I’m not in charge of that timetable and that process,”
“In 2014, we were told if we voted Yes we would impale our place in the EU. So, Scotland voted No to – amongst other things – to protect its place in the EU.
“In 2016, we were told to vote remain to protect our place in the EU. We did that. We were then told that the UK is a family of nations and Scotland’s voice would be heard, that the prime minister wouldn’t trigger Article 50 until there had been a UK position.
“So, basically, what we’re now being told is, you know, ‘shut up, Scotland, because nobody in the rest of the UK is interested in what you want to say’. That is a democratically unsustainable position.”
Watch Sturgeon on ITV Tonight on Monday.