More people would vote “no” in a Scottish independence referendum than “yes”, a recent poll suggests.
A recent survey conducted by The Mail on Sunday on Scottish independence shows that 44% of those asked would vote against independence, compared to 43% voting for it.
After the undecided votes were removed, voter intention to leave or stay in the union stood at 50% each. This is the first poll showing a shift in public opinion on a Scottish referendum since 22 polls earlier.
This new data now disproves suggestions by Nicola Sturgeon, who had said to a crowd at the SNP Annual Conference in December, that she had “never been so certain” that independence was imminent.
The Conservative Government’s major success in the vaccine roll-out programme which has already seen 20 million people in the United Kingdom receive their first vaccine, could be an important factor in restoring the Scottish people’s trust in Westminster and the Union.
Boris Johnson has recently visited Scotland to speak to local citizens and to raise morale.
During the visit, the Prime Minister praised the Scottish people for their “amazing performance” in helping the “national effort” to combat the coronavirus.
The Prime Minister also urged “unity” and a collective effort to fight Covid-19. He finished by stating that the independence debate was “irrelevant” due to the current situation; this remark seemed to go down well with the Scottish people overall, but left a sour taste for the SNP.
In response to Mr Johnson, the SNP had previously claimed that he was panicking as opinion polls showed declining support for the union, but this new poll appears to suggest the opposite.
