Spain 'considering allowing independence referenda' through Constitutional change

Dastis (pictured) had already said on the Andrew Marr Show – in perfect English – that the only way such a vote would be legal would be if the Spanish Constitution were to be amended to allow for it.

This is common knowledge in Spain, but this time around, Dastis revealed the State is 'considering' amendments to the Magna Carta which might allow for referenda on independence to be held in its 17 autonomously-governed regions – now down to 16, since the national government has seized control of that of Catalunya.

But a referendum of this nature would not just be limited to the separatist region – the whole of Spain would be asked to cast their ballot, Dastis says.

This effectively means that in a 'legal' referendum on Catalunya's secession, it is unlikely the move to break away from Spain would attract any more than a small minority of votes, since most of the country is against the idea of the region becoming a separate nation.