Scotland’s front pages are dominated by Nicola Sturgeon’s plans to hold an indyref2 vote in October 2023. The Times reports on how the first minister launched a Scottish referendum bill on Tuesday and referred it to the Supreme Court to rule on whether Holyrood has the powers to hold another vote without UK government consent.
The Daily Telegraph says the move by the first minister to get a ruling from the Supreme Court has “blindsided” Boris Johnson. The paper says Nicola Sturgeon said she would not allow Scotland to be a “prisoner” of the PM by allowing him to block another independence vote.
The Daily Record reports on the Indyref2 story, saying a “legal battle looms”. The paper says Scotland will hold another independence vote on 19 October if the poll is ruled to be legal by the Supreme Court.
Under the headline “Sturgeon’s new bit to split from UK”, the i paper reports that should the Supreme Court rule in favour of Westminster, Ms Sturgeon has vowed to fight the next general election on the issue of independence.
The Metro reports that Ms Sturgeon hopes to have a consultative referendum, much like the 2016 Brexit vote. She said a majority backing would not by itself make Scotland independent, but legislation would have to be passed by the UK and Scottish Parliaments.”
The first minister is making the biggest gamble of her leadership with her bid to hold a second independence vote, according to The Herald. The paper says that in legal circles, opinion is that the odds are stacked against the first minister getting the outcome she desires.
Nicola Sturgeon is making a “desperate gamble” as she sets out her plans for a second referendum next year, reports the Scottish Daily Mail. The paper says Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross described the first minister’s statement as “a melodramatic, self-indulgent, irresponsible waste of time” and pledged to boycott any vote.
The Scotsman says Nicola Sturgeon has taken a “political gamble that looks set to define her legacy”, as the UK government says “now is not the time” for another referendum on independence.
The Scottish Daily Express says that opposition leaders have accused Ms Sturgeon of an “appalling waste of energy and focus” and insisted they would not take part in a “pretend poll”.
The National also reports on the proposed 19 October 2023 referendum date. The paper says the question would be the same as in the last poll in 2014: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”.
The Scottish Sun says Nicola Sturgeon has thrown down the ‘indy gauntlet’. It reports Scotland’s top law officer, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, has already served papers to the Supreme Court.
The Press and Journal carries the news that Ms Sturgeon has written to Boris Johnson about her referendum plans saying she “remains willing to negotiate”, while claiming he was “refusing to respect” democracy in Scotland.
The Edinburgh Evening News reports that city council leader, Cammy Day, recently insulted the retailer Lidl on social media and has admitted he “probably shouldn’t” use such language. The paper says the Labour politician hit out at the retailer in a tweet on Sunday morning after the alarm at their Easter Road store went off.
A 21-year-old student from Fife has admitted killing her boyfriend by running over him in her car after a money row, according to The Courier. The paper reports Grace Ross, 21, ran over Joshua Kerr’s head with the vehicle close to the farm where he worked in Leslie, Fife, on 22 May 2020.
A young footballer who was critically wounded when a van struck him on the Aberdeen bypass has thanked the doctors and nurses who saved his life, reports the Evening Express.
The Evening Telegraph reports that a 74-year-old disabled man was attacked and robbed in Dundee. The paper says Lisa Carmichael posed as a carer before knocking the man out of his wheelchair so she could rob him of £10 in loose change.
Locals have vowed to catch a masked person clad in a black latex gimp suit who has returned to terrorise women, according to the Daily Star of Scotland.
