Explainer-Scottish independence: After Supreme Court defeat, can Sturgeon hold a new referendum?

Members of the media wait outside the United Kingdom Supreme Court as a case continues to decide whether the Scottish government can hold a second referendum on independence next year without approval from the British parliament, in London, Britain November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

The UK Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an argument that the Scottish government can pass legislation allowing it to hold a second independence referendum next year, leaving nationalists searching for another route to a new vote.

In a referendum in 2014, Scots voted 55%-45% to remain in the United Kingdom, but the independence movement argues that the vote for the UK to leave the European Union two years later changed everything.