Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has told lawmakers she plans to hold a new Scottish independence referendum on 19 October, 2023, the AP reported.

She said the question to be asked will be the same as the first referendum in 2014: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Back then, voters rejected independence, with 55 percent saying they wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government opposes a new referendum and has repeatedly stated that the question was settled in 2014. Any vote for independence would have no legal effect without Johnson's government's approval.

Sturgeon said the senior official would ask the U.K. Supreme Court whether the Scottish Parliament has the power to legislate an advisory referendum on independence. She added that she would write to Johnson to inform him of her plans.

A majority vote in the referendum alone would not make Scotland independent from the rest of the United Kingdom. “For Scotland to become independent following a yes vote, legislation would have to be passed by the U.K. and Scottish Parliaments,” Sturgeon said.