Respecting a voter’s choice means being careful about what it tells us. In her March 13, 2017, speech, Nicola Sturgeon cautioned that a vote to remain in the European Union could not simply be assumed to mean support for Scottish independence. That warning was her stated position, not a measurement of voters’ preferences. [S12]

Sturgeon also said people needed clarity about both Brexit’s implications and the implications of independence before a choice. The standard applied to both alternatives in her account. A promise to provide clarity, however, is not evidence that the information was supplied or that voters were already informed. [S12]

Theresa May’s earlier February 9 answer distinguished whether a second referendum could happen from whether it should, favouring cooperation on UK–EU negotiations. For us, respecting voters means keeping these questions distinct: what did a past vote express, what information would another choice need, and should that choice be offered? That is our ethical interpretation, not a position shared by the two leaders. May spoke before Sturgeon’s March address; her answer does not show that she opposed informed choice. [S14][S12]

This retrospective considers the context of March 28, 2017, using official representations retrieved in October 2026, not verified 2017 snapshots. Exact historical wording and availability at the cutoff remain unconfirmed. May spoke on February 9 and Sturgeon on March 13; these statements do not establish what happened on March 28. [S12][S14]

Source documents

  1. Second independence referendum: First Minister speechhttps://www.gov.scot/publications/first-ministers-speech-bute-house-march-2017/
  2. PM press conference with Italian Prime Minister Gentiloni: 9 February 2017https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-press-conference-with-italian-prime-minister-gentiloni-9-february-2017