Supreme court rules against Scottish parliament holding new independence referendum

Independence supporters hold a rally outside the Scottish parliament at Holyrood. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

The Scottish parliament cannot hold a second independence referendum without Westminster approval, the UK supreme court has ruled, in a unanimous judgment likely to anger Scottish nationalists who say the country’s future is for Scottish voters to decide.

The first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said immediately after the ruling: “Scottish democracy will not be denied.”