Britain’s exit from the EU could tempt Scots to vote to sever ties with the United Kingdom in a second independence referendum, an opinion poll showed on Sunday (2 September).
Scotland voted against independence from the UK in 2014, but a subsequent referendum on leaving the EU has reignited debate over its long-term future as one of Britain’s four constituent parts alongside England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
In 2016, a majority of Scottish voters backed staying in the EU, while Britain as a whole, voted to leave, meaning that Britain is now due to leave the EU on March 29 2019.
The poll showed that if Britain leaves the EU as planned, 47% of Scots would vote for independence at another referendum on Scotland’s future. That compared to 43% who would vote against independence and 10% who did not know how they would vote.
If Britain remained inside the EU and a Scottish independence referendum were held, the poll showed opinions were reversed, with 43% backing Scottish independence under those circumstances, compared to 47% who were against it.
The poll was conducted by Deltapoll, a member of the British Polling Council, which interviewed 1,022 Scottish voters. The poll was commissioned by Best for Britain, a body campaigning for Britain to keep an open mind on retaining its EU membership.
The British government says that the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence settled the question.
