“If a referendum were held tomorrow, 44% of Scots say they would vote yes, while 46% say they would vote no, leaving 10% undecided,” said Savanta ComRes, which conducted the poll for The Scotsman newspaper.
“When we remove these, it gives an overall voting intention of 51% for no and 49% for yes”, it is underlined.
For Chris Hopkins, director of policy research at Savanta ComRes, this latest poll “only serves to highlight the division within Scotland”.
On Tuesday, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reaffirmed her determination to hold a new independence referendum, aiming for autumn 2023.
To organize this referendum, Mrs. Sturgeon, leader of the independence party SNP, must obtain the agreement of the British government, which is firmly opposed to it.
The Scots had already been consulted on the subject in 2014 and had voted 55% to remain within the United Kingdom. Based on this vote, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson argues that such a referendum can only happen “once in a generation”.
The SNP, however, believes that Brexit is a game-changer, with Scots voting against it by 62% in 2016. The SNP’s goal is for Scotland to join the European Union as an independent state.
The Supreme Court has been asked to determine whether the Scottish Parliament has the power to legislate to organize this referendum without the agreement of the British government.
In the event of a defeat in court, Nicola Sturgeon has warned that she will use the next general elections, scheduled for 2024, as a “de facto referendum”, and that her party will campaign on only one issue: “Scotland must it become an independent country?
