UK Supreme Court rules Scotland can not hold another referendum on independence without permissionUnited Kingdom's Supreme Court has ruled the Scottish government cannot hold a second referendum on independence without approval from the British parliament, dealing a blow to nationalists' hopes of holding a vote next year.Key points:- Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland must find a "democratic" and "lawful" way its people can hold a referendum- In 2014, Scots rejected independence with 55 per cent voting to remain- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he respects the clear rulingScottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who leads the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), announced earlier this year she intended to hold an advisory vote on secession next October, but that it had to be lawful and internationally recognised.After Wednesday's ruling she repeated her vow to campaign in the next UK-wide election, expected to be held in 2024, solely on a platform of whether Scotland should be independent, making it a "de facto" referendum."I think that the people of Scotland want us to be working on fixing the major challenges that we collectively face, whether that's the economy, supporting the NHS (National Health Service), or indeed supporting Ukraine, now is the time for politicians to work together.""Achieving independence is not just desirable, it is essential if Scotland is to escape the disaster of Brexit, the damage of policies imposed by governments we do not vote for and the low growth high inequality economic model that is holding us back," Ms Sturgeon said."