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British defense secretary dismisses need for second Scotland referendum

Xinhua, February 10, 2017 Adjust font size:

British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon on Thursday said there was no need for a second independence referendum in Scotland.

"We don't see any need for a second referendum in Scotland," Fallon said at a joint news briefing in Rome with Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti.

"The Scottish government should get on with what it was elected to do which is to improve school standards in Scotland, to tackle the problems of the Scottish health service, and above all to revive the Scottish economy where unemployment is now rising. Those are the priorities for Scotland, not a second referendum," Fallon told reporters.

After Britain's European Union membership referendum last June, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said a second referendum on Scottish independence could be held in the future.

A referendum on Scottish independence was previously held in Sept. 2014, in which 55.3 percent voted against the plan to separate. Enditem