Fewer than one in three voters wants independence – poll

Published on Tuesday 24 November 2009 21:50

THE Scottish Government was facing renewed calls last night to drop its £9 million referendum bill after a poll revealed that support for independence has fallen to its lowest level since the SNP won power in 2007.

In the latest YouGov poll, just 29 per cent wanted separation, compared with 57 per cent who did not. The poll also showed that Scots were split over whether there should be a referendum in the next two or three years – 45 per cent said Yes, 47 per cent said No.

The poll, commissioned by a London-based newspaper, has thrown up further questions about SNP ministers continuing the National Conversation – which has so far cost 1.8m – and trying to push through a referendum next year.

Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie said: "Mr Salmond should stop wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers' money on his obsession with an independence referendum, ditch his doomed bill and get on with the job people elected him to do."

But SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson said: "Support for a referendum itself is some 13 points up on a similar YouGov survey back in March, which is a positive."

The results of the survey came out on the day when the Scottish Government released its latest National Conversation document on skills.

The paper said that independence would provide an "assured constitutional structure, which would allow a Scottish Government to provide an employment support system in Scotland that is fully integrated with wider social and economic policies".

But it went on to suggest that "the two governments could still agree to have harmonised policies in particular areas should they wish". The SNP said this was further evidence of how independence could provide the best of both worlds for Scotland.

However, critics claimed that it was another example of how independence is irrelevant. A spokesman for Labour Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said: "The National Conversation is turning into the dance of the seven veils: every day, another layer of independence is peeled away.

"The SNP want to keep the Queen, the army, British embassies, the pound, the Bank of England, British passports – and now they want to keep British pensions and social security."

There was further bad news over the SNP's general popularity as the party is now lagging behind Labour, on 24 per cent to 39 per cent in Westminster voting intentions and 32 per cent to 33 per cent for Holyrood.

The decline in SNP support is illustrated by a poll taken in August 2008, just after the SNP victory in the former Labour safe seat of Glasgow East. This had the SNP leading Labour by 36 per cent to 29 per cent for Westminster and 44 per cent to 25 per cent for Holyrood.

Tom Harris, Labour MP for Glasgow South, said: "People are flocking away from them because they know a vote for the SNP is a vote for the Tories."

But the SNP also claimed the poll showed it was still the only real opposition to Labour. Mr Robertson said: "SNP support is already six points up on the last general election."

The exchanges come ahead of a statement today by Mr Murphy to MPs on the Calman Commission's proposals on the future of devolution. He is expected to support transfer of powers on airguns and drink-driving.

Former Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander, who initiated the Calman process, has in today's Scotsman also called on Mr Murphy to support greater taxation control and a smaller block grant for Holyrood to make it more accountable.