Scotland needs the approval of Westminster to push ahead with next year’s planned second referendum on independence, top judges have ruled.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already laid out plans for a vote on October 19 next year to ask: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”. But in a major blow to her fight for an independent Scotland, Supreme Court judges on Wednesday unanimously said Westminster must give final approval before a referendum can take place.The ruling strengthens Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s hand in future negotiations over the union, but is likely to provoke condemnation from Scottish nationalists over the balance of power in the UK.