The Scottish Government wants to organise a referendum on independence, whether London allows it or not. Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday he would force a vote if necessary,”but in a legal way”. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly stated that he does not feel anything for that.

Last year, Sturgeon won an election with her National Party. She sees that result as a clear mandate from the electorate for a new referendum, which many other parties are also in favour of. It is planned that the Scots will be able to vote on independence as early as next year.

Since Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, the government in London must give permission for a referendum. That doesn’t seem to be in it for now.

A spokesman for Johnson said This was not the right time to focus on a referendum because there were “important challenges” at stake. Sturgeon indicates that the government is already working on next steps in the absence of approval. She will shortly inform Parliament of the implications of these steps.

The prime minister launched a new campaign for independence on Tuesday. Her government published the first in a series of documents on what the future of an independent Scotland would look like.

In 2014, the Scots were able to vote for independence from the United Kingdom for the last time. Back then, 55 percent of the population voted to stay within the United Kingdom, but that was before Brexit. The majority of Scots wanted to stay in the European Union.