Scotland's Sturgeon: Next national election a 'de facto referendum' on independence

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday Britain's next national election would be a de facto vote on Scottish independence, after a UK court effectively rejected a bid for a second Scottish independence referendum.

"The next national election scheduled for Scotland is of course the UK General Election, making that both the first and the most obvious opportunity to seek what I described back in June, as a de facto referendum," Sturgeon, the leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, told reporters.