MADRID, December 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Scottish Chief Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stated his intention to discuss the next episode of his bid to achieve independence from the United Kingdom at a special conference to be held by the Scottish Nationalist party in March 2023 in Edinburgh.

Independence supporters have recently suffered a setback, as Britain’s Supreme Court ruled in November that Scotland cannot hold a referendum without London’s approval.

Following this verdict, plans to hold an independence referendum next year have been temporarily postponed. In this regard, Sturgeon has announced that he will consider the next UK general election a ‘de facto’ referendum.

“A special conference will take place in Edinburgh on March 19 to discuss and decide on the way forward to ensure independence following the UK Supreme Court decision,” Sturgeon said on his Twitter account.

According to opinion polls, Scotland’s support for secession from Britain has increased since the decision.

According to a recent survey by demographic agency Panelbase commissioned by the ‘Sunday Times’, nearly half of Scots surveyed (49%) said they supported their country’s independence, three percentage points more than just a few months ago. According to the poll, 45% would vote NO and the rest would be undecided.

Sturgeon wants to get his country out of the UK and back into the European Union arguing that Brexit has changed the situation in such a way that a new referendum must be held. As of 2014, a majority of Scots have voted against independence.