Scots want to keep £ after independence
Survey says only a fifth want new currency
ONLY one in five Scots back the creation of a separate currency for an independent Scotland, a new poll has revealed.
The research into attitudes to the specifics of Brexit and independence was commissioned by the Labour Party and shows keeping the pound remains the strongest preference for more than twothirds of voters.
Overall, Brexit is considered to be the most important issue facing society today according to 28% of Scots, followed by the NHS, immigration and the cost of living.
The issue of Scottish independence was only ranked as the most important by 8% of people.
A total of 36% of respondents who voted SNP in 2015 agreed with the statement the party should “stop talking about referendums and get on with the job of governing Scotland”.
More than a third of SNP supporters backed Brexit last year and the polling shows a split in opinion on European and independence issues among Yes voters.
The polling was conducted by BMG Research.
Dave Anderson, Labour’s shadow Scottish secretary, said: “This polling makes clear the SNP does not even speak for its base support let alone the whole of Scotland.
“It is clear that Scots don’t want a hard border with the rest of the UK and neither do they want to join the euro, both of which would almost certainly become a very real prospect if the SNP got its way and Scotland left the UK and joined the EU.
“The SNP are about one thing and one thing only. But, as this polling shows, their latest strategy to use Brexit to help with their cause of independence is not something the Scottish people will support.”
The poll asked “if the SNP should stop talking about referendums and get on with the job of governing Scotland”.
Of the people who voted SNP at the 2015 General Election, 36% agreed with the statement. The breakdown showed only 24% of “Yes/Remain” voters agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, while 62% of “Yes/Leave” voters supported the statement.
Respondents were also asked: “If the rest of the UK left the EU but Scotland remained in, there could be a ‘hard border’ (i.e. border checkpoints) between Scotland and the rest of the UK. If you had to choose, what would you rather have?”
A total of 61% backed free trade and no borders with the rest of the UK but with Scotland outside of the EU.
The rest opted for hard borders with the rest of the UK but with Scotland in the EU.
When asked what was the biggest issue facing society, those in the “Yes/ Leave” camp said it was immigration (30%) compared to just 8% of them saying independence. Even “Yes/Remain” voters said Brexit was more important than independence.
The poll of 924 adult Scots was carried out between December 9 and 13 last year.
An SNP spokesman said: “Brexit is rightly viewed as one of the biggest issues facing the country. The SNP are entirely focused on protecting Scotland from the catastrophic effects of a hard Tory Brexit which would cost 80,000 jobs in Scotland over the next decade.”