The Union flag,The Scottish Saltire and The European flag fly at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh Scotland, Britain March 21, 2017. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

LONDON (Reuters) - The British government said on Tuesday it would not be entering into negotiations on the Scottish government’s proposal to hold a new independence referendum in late 2018 or early 2019.

It was reacting to a vote in the Scottish parliament earlier backing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s bid for an independence vote.

“It would be unfair to the people of Scotland to ask them to make a crucial decision without the necessary information about our future relationship with Europe, or what an independent Scotland would look like,” it added.