FILE - In this Monday, May 23, 2016 file photo, Scottish First Minster Nicola Sturgeon talks to journalists after meeting with Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood and Green MP Caroline Lucas, in London. Nicola Sturgeon says in comments that were broadcast on Thursday March 9, 2017, that if Scotland decides on a new independence referendum, it would be "common sense" to hold it in the second half of 2018. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File) (The Associated Press)
LONDON – Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says that if Scotland decides on a new independence referendum, it would be "common sense" to hold it in the second half of 2018.
Sturgeon told the BBC no decision has yet been made on whether to seek another referendum to transform Scotland into an independent nation outside the United Kingdom.
She has complained bitterly about Britain's decision to withdraw from the European Union despite Scottish opposition to the move.
In comments broadcast Thursday, Sturgeon says she is not "bluffing" about holding another vote and is looking for ways to maintain Scotland's ties with the EU bloc.
Scottish voters rejected independence in a 2014 referendum, with 55 percent voting to stay in the U.K. Sturgeon says the Brexit vote changed the situation dramatically.
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