The Scottish parliament on Thursday rescheduled [official report] a vote on a new independence referendum for next week following Wednesday’s terror attack [press release] at the United Kingdom parliament in London. The proposed referendum was under debate when the attack occurred, and Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh [official profile] chose to halt the proceedings [official report] after receiving news [BBC timeline] of a “serious incident at Westminster” and an increase in security at Holyrood. The debate is to take place only one day [Guardian report] before UK Prime Minister Theresa May [official profile] is expected to initiate proceedings [JURIST report] consistent with the UK’s plans to leave the EU.

In June a majority of UK citizens voted [JURIST report] to leave the EU due to a growing discontent with EU policies, including immigration. Implications of Brexit extend well beyond immigration, however. Critics are concerned [Reuters report] with the domestic and global economic implications, as the UK will be cut off from European trade markets unless an agreement can be reached. Amongst these critics [JURIST report], the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon [official website] announced [press release] earlier in March that she will seek a referendum to allow Scottish citizens to vote on independence from the UK in response to the passage of the bill. In September 2014, a prior independence referendum in Scotland failed [JURIST report] with 55 percent of Scots voting in favor of remaining in the UK.