Scotland will set out the terms and timing for a new independence referendum before May next year, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday as she unveiled her legislative programme. "Before the end of this Parliament we will publish a draft bill" on the details of the vote and the question to be asked, she said in a speech to mark the reopening of the devolved assembly. "And then at next year's (Scottish parliamentary) election we will make the case for Scotland to become an independent country and we will seek a clear endorsement of Scotland's right to choose our own future." Sturgeon's push for a so-called "indyref2" threatens to become a major headache for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has repeatedly ruled out allowing one to go ahead. Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Sturgeon is currently enjoying a surge in popularity as a result of her handling of the coronavirus outbreak. She is hoping to capitalise on that support -- and strong showings in recent UK-wide elections -- to force London to agree to Scotland holding a new vote. Scots voted to remain in the United Kingdom by 55 percent to 45 percent in a landmark referendum in 2014. The SNP argues it has a new case for an independence vote because Scots opted to stay in the European Union in the 2016 referendum. The nationwide result -- to leave -- changed the dynamics of the three-centuries-old union with the rest of the United Kingdom, it said. Analysts predict the SNP will win a majority at next year's vote in Scotland. But Sturgeon said the challenges of coronavirus were being compounded "completely unnecessarily" by Brexit, particularly London's refusal to ask for an extension to trade talks. That will cause "avoidable harm" to Scottish businesses, adding to economic stresses from the pandemic that have plunged the economy into recession. "Brexit and the way in which Brexit is being implemented immeasurably strengthens the case for Scotland becoming an independent country with the ability to shape our own destiny and contribute positively to Europe and the world," she added. Economic factors could be Sturgeon's biggest hurdle to success in a new poll on going it alone. Figures published last week showed Scotland spent £15.1 billion ($20 billion, 17 billion euros) more on public services than it raised in taxes in the last financial year. The deficit was £2 billion more than the previous 12 months, with borrowing equivalent to £2,776 per person in Scotland -- some 2.5 times more than in the UK as a whole. srg/phz/tgb