SNP has application granted to intervene in Supreme Court IndyRef2 case

The SNP’s application to intervene in the Supreme Court case considering whether Holyrood can hold an independence referendum has been granted.

It means that the party will be able to argue for the right of the Scottish Parliament to hold another vote.

Scotland’s top lawyer, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, in July asked the UK’s highest court to look at whether Holyrood would be able to hold a referendum.

The powers to hold a referendum are currently held by Westminster.

Those powers were temporarily transferred from Westminster to Holyrood in order to allow the 2014 independence referendum to take place, having been agreed between then-First Minister Alex Salmond and Prime Minister David Cameron.

The Scottish Government has outlined its intention to hold a referendum on October 19 next year.

However, the UK Government insists that it is not within the legal competence of Holyrood to hold one without the consent of Westminster.

While Dorothy Bain has taken the case forward to the Court on behalf of the Scottish Government, the SNP had sought to intervene.

It means that as well as the legal case from Bain, the SNP will make a political argument for the right of the Scottish Parliament to hold a vote.

In an update on Wednesday, the Court said that a written submission should be filed no later than September 21 and be limited to 20 pages.

It should also avoid repetition of the arguments set out by the Lord Advocate, the Court stated.

The SNP had sought to make an oral submission to the Court, but this request was denied.

Permission has been granted to the Lord Advocate and the Advocate General to produce written responses, each limited to 20 pages, within 14 days of the SNP’s written submissions.