After voting to stay in the United Kingdom in 2014, Scottish lawmakers voted 69-59 in favor of an independence referendum on Tuesday, planning a return to the European Union.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to ask the British Parliament for an outright independence vote sometime next year.

However, Prime Minister Theresa May, who met Sturgeon on Monday, said "now is not the time" for a referendum.

Earlier in March, May labeled Sturgeon's actions as "tunnel vision."

"The tunnel vision that SNP has shown today is deeply regrettable... Instead of playing politics with the future of our country, the Scottish government should focus on delivering good government and public services for the people of Scotland. Politics is not a game," May said.

"Today's vote must now be respected," Sturgeon said on Tuesday. "The people of Scotland should have the right to choose between Brexit - possibly a very hard Brexit - or becoming an independent country, able to chart our own course and create a true partnership of equals across these islands."