Brexit: SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland could veto EU referendum result

Members of the Scottish Parliament could have the power to prevent the UK from leaving the European Union, the country's first minister has said.

Speaking to the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon said that she would ask MSPs not to give their "legislative consent".

Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party, which holds 63 of the 129 seats at Holyrood, said: "The issue you are talking about is would there have to be a legislative consent motion or motions for the legislation that extricates the UK from the European Union?

"Looking at it from a logical perspective, I find it hard to believe that there wouldn't be that requirement - I suspect that the UK government will take a very different view on that and we'll have to see where that discussion ends up."

Sturgeon could be referring to a provision under Sections 29 and 57(2) of the Scotland Act 1998 which seems to give the Scottish parliament a veto on leaving the EU, in the form of requiring MSPs to give legislative consent to leave.

Asked whether she would consider asking MSPs not to give their legislative consent, she replied "of course."

"If the Scottish Parliament was judging this on the basis of what's right for Scotland then the option of saying, look we're not to vote for something that's against Scotland's interest, of course that's got to be on the table."

In a tight election on Thursday, Britain as a whole voted 52% to 48% to leave the EU. In Scotland, the picture was rather different, with 62% backing the remain campaign, and 38% voting to leave, meaning MSPs might be inclined to follow Sturgeon's lead. The Scottish leader has also brought up the possibility of a second Scottish independence referendum.