Poll: Indyref 2 not a priority

ONLY one in eight Scots believe independence is an issue the new Scottish Government should be prioritising.

A new poll has also revealed just 37 per cent of people think a divisive referendum should be held before the end of 2023.

Nicola Sturgeon has set out her plans to hold a vote on breaking up the UK in the first half of the Scottish parliamentary term.

However, the Survation poll, carried out for campaign group Scotland in Union, found that only 37 per cent of Scots back the proposals. When asked how they would vote in such a referendum, 58 per cent said that they would vote to ‘remain part of the United Kingdom’.

Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: ‘The new SNP Government must listen to the people of Scotland, who are clear that independence is not a priority.

‘It must not treat every vote as a vote for a referendum and must instead focus on the NHS, econ

omy, Covid recovery and education. The very last thing we need right now is more division – the majority of Scots do not want a referendum in the First Minister’s timetable of two-and-a-half years.’

Asked to pick the most important issues for the Scottish Government to prioritise, 0 per cent said the NHS and social care, with 46 per cent selecting the economy. Forty-five per cent said the Covid recovery, 30 per cent education and just 12 per cent, one in eight, said independence.