The UK prime minister said that Scotland already voted against separating from the UK in 2014.
ADVERTISEMENTNicola Sturgeon has promised that the Scottish people "will get the right to decide our own future" after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson declined to allow Scotland to hold a second referendum on independence.
In a letter to Sturgeon, Johnson said that Scotland voted "decisively" in the last poll in 2014, which the Scottish National Party (SNP) promised was a "once in a generation" opportunity.
"The UK Government will continue to uphold the democratic decision of the Scottish people and the promise that you made to them. For that reason, I cannot agree to any request for a transfer of power that would lead to further independence referendums," Johnson wrote.
In her reply, Sturgeon called the response from Johnson "predictable" and said that the Tories were "terrified of Scotland having the right to choose our own future."
Sturgeon made a second referendum on independence a key policy pledge during the election, and argues that as a majority of Scottish voters were opposed to Brexit, Scotland should not be forced to leave the European Union along with Britain this year.
She believes that given the choice between independence for Scotland and exiting the EU alongside Britain, the majority of Scots would opt for independence. The latest polling suggests that a second referendum would be extremely close. In 2014, it was 55.3% against and 44.7% in favour.
The SNP swept Scotland in the election on December 13, ousting a number of Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs including Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson.