The Edinburgh Agreement (full title: ''Agreement between the United Kingdom Government and the Scottish Government on a referendum on independence for Scotland'') is the agreement between the

Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...

and the

United Kingdom Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

, signed on 15 October 2012 at St Andrew's House,

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, on the terms for the

2014 Scottish independence referendum A independence referendum, referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or ...

.Text of the 'Edinburgh Agreement'
www.independent.co.uk, 15 October 2012 Both governments agreed that the referendum should: * have a clear legal base * be legislated for by the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

* be conducted so as to command the confidence of parliaments, government and people * deliver a fair test and decisive expression of the views of people in Scotland and a result that everyone will respect The governments agreed to promote an

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

under Section 30 of the

Scotland Act 1998 The Scotland Act 1998 (c. 46) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which legislated for the establishment of the devolved Scottish Parliament with tax varying powers and the Scottish Government (then Scottish Executive). It was o ...

to allow a single-question referendum on

Scottish independence Scottish independence (; ) is the idea of Scotland regaining its independence and once again becoming a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom. The term Scottish independence refers to the political movement that is campaignin ...

to be held before the end of 2014 so to put beyond doubt that the Scottish Parliament can legislate for the referendum. The legislation that the Scottish Parliament set to work on was; * the date of the referendum * the vote itself * the wording of the question voters would be asked * rules surrounding campaign financing * various other rules for the conduction of the referendum Both governments agreed that the referendum should be overseen by an impartial electoral commission. The commission would comment on the wording of the question, register campaigners, designate lead campaigners, regulate campaign spending and finances, give grants to campaign organizations, create guidelines for participants in the referendum, report on the referendum process, conduct the poll, and announce the result. The agreement was signed by

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...

, Prime Minister;

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various Social issue, social, political, and economic topics. He first became publicly known for his award-winning debut ...

, Secretary of State for Scotland; Alex Salmond, First Minister; and

Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023. She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) sin ...

, Deputy First Minister. Whether the document was legally binding in theory is a matter of academic discussion. In practice, an Order in Council was in fact approved on 12 February 2013,The Scotland Act 1998 (Modification of Schedule 5) Order 2013
/ref> granting constitutional legitimacy to the referendum held on 18 September 2014.

References

External links

Scottish Government webpage on Edinburgh Agreement

Historic 'Edinburgh Agreement' on referendum signed
– Scottish Government press release
David Cameron signs historic deal granting Scottish referendum
– Prime Minister's Office press release
Text of Edinburgh Agreement
{{2014 Scottish independence referendum 2012 in British politics 2012 in Scotland Constitution of the United Kingdom Scottish devolution Government of the United Kingdom 2010s in Edinburgh Referendums in Scotland Scottish Government Scottish independence Politics of Edinburgh Orders in Council Scots administrative law 2014 Scottish independence referendum 2012 in British law October 2012 in the United Kingdom

See also

References

External links