The pro-independence Sturgeon had said Thursday that her government would shortly publish a bill laying the groundwork for a new independence referendum — the first step toward a new vote on whether Scotland should leave the U.K.

An earlier referendum in 2014 ended with Scottish voters opting to remain part of the United Kingdom. “If the majority in the House of Commons stand up for what they know to be right, she will not get away with doing it.”

Speaking at the SECC in Glasgow, the SNP leader will step up attacks on eurosceptic Tories at a conference that is set to attract 3,000 delegates and see her plans for a second independence referendum come under the spotlight. To applause, Sturgeon told the prime minister: “Hear this: if you think for one single second that I’m not serious about doing what it takes to protect Scotland’s interests, then think again.”

Sturgeon then won a standing ovation when she announced that the draft Scottish independence referendum bill would be published next week – earlier than her officials had previously signalled. We’ll put forward proposals that respect the view that Scotland expressed in the referendum but if all that fails then I think Scotland does have the right to ask itself again does it want to stay part of the UK coming out of the EU or does it want to choose a different and in my view a better path because the UK we voted to stay part of in 2014 is not the UK we now face the prospect of.”



Sturgeon said that, regardless of polling that indicates that a convincing majority in favour of independence has yet to be reached, even after the vote to leave the EU, “I’ve got a duty to tell people straight what I think needs to be done to protect our interests.”.
Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon will introduce a bill launching a new referendum to determine the final status of the country.