The Scottish government cannot hold a second referendum on independence without approval from the British Parliament, the United Kingdom's top court ruled on Wednesday, dealing a hammer blow to nationalists' hopes of holding a vote next year.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), had announced earlier this year she intended to hold an advisory vote on secession next October, but that it had to be lawful and internationally recognized.
After the U.K. Supreme Court ruled she could not do so without the approval of the United Kingdom Parliament, she repeated her vow to campaign in the next U.K.-wide election, expected to be held in 2024, solely on a platform of whether Scotland should be independent, making it a "de facto" referendum.