Nicola Sturgeon plans to stage another vote on Scottish independence at the end of next year without permission from Boris Johnson’s government, which risks provoking lengthy legal battles.

The First Minister said on Tuesday she would update Holyrood on her plans “very soon”, releasing a report saying Scotland should aspire to match the prosperity rates of smaller European countries such as Denmark and Ireland after the ‘independence.

Sturgeon said she had an electoral mandate to hold a referendum with or without Westminster’s approval, and claimed her government had devised a legally secure alternative to hold one regardless of that approval.

Legislation that set up the Scottish parliament stipulates that Westminster must authorize any referendum affecting the British constitution, under a so-called Article 30 order.

The 2014 referendum, which the no side won 55% to 45%, was called after then Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to provide an order under Article 30 because ‘Alex Salmond, then prime minister, had won a landslide victory in the Holyrood election. in 2011.

Many constitutional lawyers and pro-British parties believe this is the only legal route. Former prime minister Theresa May and Johnson have repeatedly refused to allow a new referendum, saying the 2014 result is final.

Standing with Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Green party, by his side at Bute House, his official residence in Edinburgh, Sturgeon declined to provide further details on his alternative strategy. But she agreed she would run into obstacles that she declined to elaborate on.

‘We are dealing with a Prime Minister who does not respect democracy, the law or any of the standards that underpin democracy in the UK,’ she said, alluding to Johnson’s attempts to rewrite Northern Ireland Protocol and his refusal to resign. Partygate scandal. “I have to face this reality. Does this pose any challenges? I will put them in place. And the ability of the Scottish Parliament to legislate without an Order under Section 30 is disputed. I believe we can move down the path, but I’m going to do it responsibly, I’m going to do it right.

Sturgeon faces the significant prospect of an unorthodox route being challenged in the UK Supreme Court. It can propose that the British and Scottish governments jointly apply to the court for a decision. There are obvious risks that Johnson will refuse to do so or that the court will declare his proposals illegal.

The British government and pro-British parties could boycott a referendum held without Article 30, undermining its political legitimacy. Sturgeon has placed great emphasis on hosting a legal and legitimate event to ensure it enjoys international approval, especially within the EU. Reintegration into the EU is presented by Sturgeon as one of the main advantages of independence.

The article published on Tuesday, Independence in the modern world – richer, happier, fairer: why not Scotland?, is the first in a series that the Sturgeon government will publish over the coming months with the aim of present a renewed case for independence and reverse a drop in the yes vote.

The document was branded ‘cherrypicking and jam tomorrow’ by opposition parties after comparing the UK’s poor economic performance and higher poverty rates only with the records of 10 small high-performing countries such as Norway , Austria and Belgium. He ignored large countries or those with weaker economies.

Sturgeon declined to say how long it would take for an independent Scotland to regenerate its economy. She said economic crises were exactly why independence was needed. “The sooner we take this path, the sooner we’ll be heading for the type of success they [other countries] enjoy,” she said.

The Conservatives, Labor and Liberal Democrats said it was ruinous to press ahead with an independence referendum amid an economic crisis, with the UK facing a recession, a fresh Brexit crisis, and so soon after the Covid pandemic. Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labor leader, said: “You can’t do politics as long as people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake.”