Scots hit out over fair case for independence

Almost half of Scots believe the Scottish Government misrepresented the economic case for independence in the build up to the 2014 referendum, according to a new poll.

And a similar number believe they would have been worse off financially if the country had voted Yes, according to the YOUGOV survey comissioned by the Scotland in the Union organisation.

The recent GERS figures on Scotland’s public finances showed a deficit of £13.3 billion in 2016-17. This would have been the first year of independence if Scots had voted Yes in 2014, when the SNP’S white paper estimated a deficit of £2.5-3.2 billion.

The poll shows just 28 per cent Scots believe the Scottish Government gave a fair representation of the facts at the time to allow people to make an informed decision, while 47 per cent said they were a misrepresentation. 0 Paula Nash questioned people’s trust in the SNP

The poll also shows 45 per cent of Scots believe they would be worse off financially if they had voted to leave the UK while 21 per cent thought they would be better off. Another 20 per cent said it would make no real difference.

Scotland in the Union chief executive Pamela Nash said: “This is a question of trust and people will now think twice before believing anything Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP say.

“It’s no wonder support for them is falling.”