Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon promised Saturday to protect the nation’s membership in the European Union and said that a new independence referendum was “clearly” an option two days after Britons voted to leave the partnership altogether.
“We will seek to enter into immediate discussions with the EU institutions and with other EU member states to explore all possible options to protect Scotland’s place in the EU,” said Sturgeon, speaking outside her official residence in the Scottish capital.
“A second (Scottish) independence referendum is clearly an option that requires to be on the table, and it is very much on the table,” she said.
Only two years ago, Scots rejected calls for independence in a 55-45 referendum vote, while support in the following years hasn’t shifted significantly.
In Thursday’s vote, 62 percent of Scots voted for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union. Sturgeon said that many voted to remain in the U.K. in 2014 because they thought it was their only avenue to remain in the bloc.
On Friday and Saturday, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump took his campaign to Scotland, where he praised those who voted to leave the union, saying that it was a great decision for them to regain their independence.
