Support for Scottish independence climbs to 56% -Ipsos poll

Support for Scottish independence has risen to 56%, according to an Ipsos poll released on Wednesday, two weeks after the United Kingdom's top court stopped an attempt by Scotland's government to hold another independence referendum next year. The poll of 1,065 people aged over 16 across Scotland found support for independence had risen by 6 percentage points since the last survey in May. Only 44% backed staying in the union once undecided voters were stripped out.

Support for Scottish independence has risen to 56%, according to an Ipsos poll released on Wednesday, two weeks after the United Kingdom's top court stopped an attempt by Scotland's government to hold another independence referendum next year.

The poll of 1,065 people aged over 16 across Scotland found support for independence had risen by 6 percentage points since the last survey in May. Only 44% backed staying in the union once undecided voters were stripped out. The results showed the Scottish National Party (SNP) led by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon would win more than half the votes at the next election expected in 2024. She has vowed to fight the contest solely on whether Scotland should be independent, making it a "de facto" referendum.

The poll showed "an increase in both support for independence and support for the SNP," said Emily Gray, managing director of Ipsos Scotland. "Whether this is a temporary 'bounce' in the wake of the recent Supreme Court judgement or a longer-lasting trend, remains to be seen." In a referendum in 2014, Scots rejected ending the more-than 300-year-old union with England by 55% to 45%. However, demands for independence gained momentum after Britain's 52%-48%referendum vote to leave the European Union two years later, a step which the majority of Scottish voters opposed.

Until recently, polls suggested Scots remained evenly split on independence and a vote would be too close to call. Support for independence briefly touched a record 58% in 2020 as the Scottish government won widespread public backing for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this year, the SNP announced it intended to hold an advisory vote on secession next October, but that it had to be lawful and internationally recognised. The British government in London has repeatedly said it would not grant permission for another plebiscite, saying a vote on independence should be a once-in-a-generation event.

In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court said on Nov. 23 that the decision on whether to hold a referendum could not be made without the consent of the UK parliament. Scottish nationalists said the ruling underscored the need for Edinburgh to break free of being ruled from London, claiming they are trapped in a political union without any route to self-determination under international law.

Based on the voting intentions in the poll, the SNP would win 58 seats at the next general election, according to the STV news channel. Scottish Labour would win one seat, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives and the other parties would not win any Scottish seats in the House of Commons.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)