Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Thursday announced a new independence referendum Bill, BBC reported. Sturgeon told delegates at the Scottish National Party’s conference in Glasgow that the Bill will be published for consultations next week and that the party’s MPs in the United Kingdom’s House of Commons will oppose Brexit-related legislation when it is introduced in 2017.

Scotland has the right to choose for itself if it is not allowed to protect its interests “within the UK”, the first minister said. “I am determined that Scotland will have the ability to reconsider the question of independence and to do so before the UK leaves the European Union,” she said, adding British Prime Minister Theresa May needed to respect those people who voted to stay with the EU.

However, Scottish Secretary David Mundell urged Sturgeon towards “working constructively with the UK government”. “Constant talk of another independence referendum is creating uncertainty and damaging the Scottish economy,” the Conservative politician said.

The relationship between Britain and Scotland has been strained since September 2014, when Scottish citizens voted by 55% to 45% to stay in the UK. After the UK voted to exit the EU on June 24, Sturgeon said the possibility of a second independence referendum was “highly likely” and that she wanted to protect Scotland from the “deeply damaging and painful consequences of the process of trying to extricate the UK from the EU”.