No 53%, Yes 47%: Opposition grows to independence

SUPPORT for Nicola Sturgeon’s dream of breaking up Britain is declining, according to a new poll that shows a growing number of Scots back the Union.

Opposition to the SNP’s plans for independence is strengthening, with No enjoying a six-point lead.

Of the past ten Scottish polls on the subject of independence, nine have shown No to be in the lead.

The latest poll, of just over 1,000 Scots, was carried out last month by Panelbase for campaign group Scotland in Union.

Asked should Scotland be an independent country, 53 per cent backed No, and 47 per cent said Yes.

The results will raise further questions over why Ms Sturgeon would defy a majority of Scots and force through an unwanted indewhich pendence referendum. The First Minister insists a ballot should be held by the end of 2023.

That is despite continuing high Covid numbers, the number of drugs deaths at a record high, an NHS in crisis, an economy battered by months of restrictions and pupils desperately needing to catch up on lost education amid a beleaguered Curriculum for Excellence.

Ms Sturgeon has spent the past two weeks at Cop26 in Glasgow, at which representatives of countries around the world sought to work together to secure commitments to slow climate change.

However, she still faced accusations that she was trying to use the event to sow division after SNP adverts for the event described Scotland as a ‘nation in waiting’.

Ms Sturgeon insisted the adverts, stated that Scotland is ‘not yet an independent nation’, was ‘not about independence’.

But last night she was urged to reject ‘the division and isolation of nationalism’ and instead focus on more pressing issues such as Covid and climate change.

Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: ‘The past fortnight at Cop26 has been a stark reminder of the importance of bringing people together and rejecting the division and isolation of nationalism.

‘Faced with the challenges of tomorrow – particularly the climate emergency – this is yet another poll which confirms the majority of people in Scotland want to remain part of the UK and reject the SNP’s politics of yesterday.

‘We are weaker when ruled by politics focused on nationalism. We are stronger when we work together for a better future.’

A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: ‘The last thing Scotland needs is a divisive independence referendum. All of our focus must be on our recovery and rebuilding after the pandemic.’

Boris Johnson has made clear he does not believe there should be another independence referendum so soon after the 2014 vote in which more than two million Scots rejected separation, and has urged the SNP to focus on tackling the pandemic and rebuilding the economy.

The SNP has claimed that if the UK Government does not agree to a referendum within the First Minister’s chosen time-frame, it will hold its own vote.

However, opponents have warned this would be an ‘illegal, wildcat referendum’ and would risk triggering chaotic scenes, such as those experienced under similar circumstances in Catalonia in 2017.

It also raises the prospect of costly court battles between the UK and Scottish governments over whether or not MSPs at Holyrood have the legal right to unilaterally call a referendum.

Last night, the SNP insisted its success at the Scottish elections in May means it has the right to hold a referendum.

A spokesman said: ‘In May’s election the people of Scotland returned the SNP to government with a record number of votes, a record number of constituency MSPs and a cast-iron mandate to hold an independence referendum in this term of parliament.’

‘Rejecting division and isolation of nationalism’