Nicola Sturgeon suffered a blow today as a poll found Scots still back staying in the UK – and only 40 per cent support her bid to hold another referendum next year.
Research by Savanta ComRes revealed that, excluding don’t knows, 51% of respondents want to stay in the union after the SNP leader sought a new vote within 16 months.
Ministers have referred to the referendum concept as a “dream” and 53% of people oppose it, while only 25% support it.
Ms. Sturgeon is requesting guidance from the UK Supreme Court on whether she may proceed despite Boris Johnson’s refusal to grant consent.
She has, however, acknowledged that she won’t prompt a “wildcat” vote if the judges rule against her, which is what most analysts anticipate.
Instead, she will only run for office in Westminster on the basis of Scotland’s membership in the UK.
The latest in a long line of polls for the Scotsman that have seen unionists just barely ahead in the debate
Leaving those those who were unsure, 49% favored the separatist position and 51% opposed it.
The previous referendum, which both sides referred to as taking place “once in a generation,” saw a 55-45 victory for remaining in the UK.
Yesterday, Ms. Sturgeon faced criticism for pushing for independence while seeing the Queen in Edinburgh.
Both women grinned as Ms. Sturgeon gave the 96-year-old monarch the $175 bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, despite the disagreements over the Union’s future.
A fresh tartan blanket was also presented to Her Majesty, which she described as “a delightful thing to have.”
Ms. Sturgeon has stated that an independent Scotland would wish to maintain the constitutional monarchy and has hailed the Queen on her Platinum Jubilee as a “pretty extraordinary individual.”
According to Chris Hopkins of Savanta, the results on the issue of Scotland’s independence are “practically neck and neck.”
He stated: “Those in the Yes camp are driving support for a second independence referendum without a Section 30; opposition comes almost entirely from the No camp.
“A majority of No voters feel the case for independence is weaker now than it was in 2014, while four out of five Yes voters say the case is stronger now.”
The battle lines that were established in 2014 are all too well-known, and Nicola Sturgeon’s refusal to back down in her determination to stage a referendum at nearly any cost only widens this rift.
The Savanta Between June 23 and June 28, ComRes conducted an online survey of 1,029 Scottish individuals, 16 and older.