Scottish leader Sturgeon tells EU ‘we hope to join you again’

LONDON: Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Saturday told the European Union "we hope to join you again soon" as an independent nation following Britain’s full departure from the bloc.

"As an independent member of the European Union, Scotland would be a partner and a bridge-builder," she wrote on her party’s website.

A comfortable majority of Scots voted to remain in the European Union during the 2016 Brexit referendum, giving fresh impetus to the movement pushing for Scotland to leave the United Kingdom.

After losing the 2014 independence vote, Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Sturgeon is spearheading the push for another referendum and hopes to rejoin the EU should she fulfil her dream.

"More and more people in Scotland believe our aspirations can best be met by continuing to contribute to the shared endeavour and solidarity that the EU represents," she wrote.

"Because of Brexit, we can now only do this as an independent member state in our own right. "We didn’t want to leave and we hope to join you again soon as an equal partner," she added.