Scottish govt vows UK independence push despite court setback

Scotland's leader vowed to turn the next UK general election into a de facto vote on independence, after judges blocked her bid to hold a new referendum without London's approval.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the ruling by the Supreme Court in London exposed the "myth" that Scotland could voluntarily leave the United Kingdom.

The unanimous ruling torpedoed the Scottish nationalist government's push to hold a second plebiscite next October -- nearly a decade after Scots narrowly opted to remain in a pre-Brexit UK.

Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National Party (SNP), said she respected the ruling, but accused Westminster of showing "contempt" for Scotland's democratic will.

The SNP-led government will now look to use the UK election due by early 2025 as a "de facto referendum" on separating after more than 300 years, Sturgeon told a news conference.

"We must and we will find another democratic, lawful and constitutional means by which the Scottish people can express their will. In my view, that can only be an election," she added.

Outside the court, David Simpson, 70, who first voted for the SNP in 1970, said he was still hopeful of achieving independence in the future.

"This is not the end of the road," he said. "There is nothing impossible."

Campaigners, however, were met with anti-independence supporters at a rally outside the Scottish parliament waving placards including one reading: "We want to stay in the UK."