Hard Brexit may cause Scotland independence referendum

Scotland will push for a second independence referendum if Tory Prime Minister Theresa May follows through with plans to take the UK out of the single market in a ‘hard Brexit,’ First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Thursday.
Speaking at the SNP’s three-day annual conference, Sturgeon argued the Tories have no democratic mandate for a ‘hard Brexit,’ which would see a severe crackdown on EU immigration and a departure from the single market.

"I am determined that Scotland will have the ability to reconsider the question of independence and to do so before the UK leaves the EU if that is necessary to protect our country's interests," she said.
Scots rejected independence by 55 to 45% in 2014, and opinion polls suggest there is still no clear majority in favor of a split.

“But make no mistake – the right wing of the Tory party is now in the ascendancy and it is seeking to hijack the referendum result. Brexit has become Tory Brexit" she argued.

Scotland, London and Northern Ireland voted against Brexit in the June 23 poll, but overall the UK voted to back Brexit by 52% to 48% and May confirmed she will press ahead with Britain's withdrawal, fixing the term within next March.