Scottish nationalists pledge independence referendum by end of 2023

Scotland's First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party, Nicola Sturgeon, launches her manifesto during the Scottish Parliamentary election in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain April 15, 2021 . Jeff J Mitchell/Pool via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - The ruling Scottish National Party pledged on Thursday to hold an independence referendum by the end of 2023, a step that could fracture the United Kingdom by ripping apart the 314-year union between England and Scotland.

If there was another referendum and the Scots voted out, it would mark the biggest shock to the United Kingdom since Irish independence a century ago - just as London grapples with the impact of both Brexit and the COVID-19 crisis.