What has changed since the 2014 referendum result?

In the immediate aftermath of the Scottish independence referendum, which had resulted in a 55 per cent to 45 per cent win for the No vote, the then prime minister David Cameron announced a policy of English Votes for English Laws. This was seen as a backlash to the independence campaign and would block Scottish MPS from voting on matters which only related to English constituencies.

In 2015 a general election saw Mr Cameron returned to government with a majority, and the Labour Party nearly wiped out in Scotland, with the SNP taking 56 of 59 Scottish seats. The Tory Party manifesto had included a pledge to hold a referendum on the UK’S relationship with Europe.

In February 2016, Mr Cameron announced the UK government would recommend to the British people that the UK should remain a member of a reformed European Union and that the referendum would be held on 23 June.

A month before the EU referendum, the SNP won the Scottish Parliament elections and a third term in government, though despite their huge success the previous year at the Westminster elections, they lost their majority by two seats. The Conservatives saw a significant increase in support and replaced the Labour Party as the main opposition.

The result of the EU referendum saw the Leave campaign win, triggering the start of the Brexit process. Mr Cameron resigned as prime minister and a Tory leadership campaign was won by Theresa May. The SNP demanded that Scotland should not be “ripped out the EU against its will”, as it had voted overwhelmingly to Remain. Despite Brexit, the polls on independence have not moved in the SNP’S favour. The recent Survation poll said most Scots don’t want a second referendum in the next five years, with more than a third saying they don’t want any vote on the matter at all.