Scottish Devolution Referendum of 1997

Scots voted 74.3 percent for a parliament after 300 years, on a 60 percent turnout.

Overview

Blair's new Labour government fulfilled its manifesto by asking Scotland, which had rejected a 1979 assembly, whether it wanted a tax-varying Scottish Parliament. On September 11, 1997, 74.3 percent voted yes to a parliament and 63.5 percent to tax powers, on a 60.4 percent turnout. The Scotland Act of 1998 created the first Scottish Parliament since the 1707 union, elected in 1999 with limited tax and legislative powers. The vote opened the devolution era that reshaped Welsh and London government and set the stage for the 2014 independence question.