Spain PM wants Catalan referendum revoked

Spain's prime minister wants the constitutional court to suspend a bid by leaders in Catalonia to hold an independence referendum.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will ask the constitutional court to revoke a referendum law by the Catalan parliament that sets the stage for a October 1 vote on splitting from Spain.

The law, passed by a majority of Catalan lawmakers on Wednesday, was unconstitutional, Rajoy told a news conference on Thursday.

Spain's state prosecutors' office said it would present criminal charges against leading members of the Catalan parliament for allowing the parliamentary vote to go ahead.