British PM: Scotland Won’t Be Allowed to Veto Brexit

Speaking today to BBC Scotland, British Prime Minister Theresa May insisted that Scotland won’t be allowed to “veto” the Brexit, and that while they will be allowed to give some input on the matter, ultimately the United Kingdom will negotiated the Brexit as a unified force.

How this is supposed to work is unclear, as traditionally the United Kingdom has given its constituent parts the right to veto matters that concern them. The British withdrawal from the EU is of unprecedented importance, but officials say it isn’t clear this is the sort of thing that the Scottish, Northern Irish, or Welsh governments should have a say over.

Scotland, like Northern Ireland, was overwhelmingly opposed to the Brexit, and officials there believe it will impact their economies dramatically. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has suggested that Scotland should withdraw from the United Kingdom and remain in the EU instead, potentially taking the seat vacated by Britain.

May warned against any Scottish attempts at another secession vote as well in her comments, saying that there had already been one, and while the legality of a second would be a “procedural” issue, it absolutely shouldn’t happen.

The Scottish independence referendum was extremely close, and the vote to remain within Britain at the time was primarily on the assumption that withdrawing from Britain would mean withdrawing from the EU, and that Britain would block their admittance. With Britain on the way out the door, however, things have clearly changed, and many Scots believe the last vote’s narrative was a false one.