The appointment of Douglas Ross as the leader of the Scottish Conservatives and visits from the chancellor Rishi Sunak and prime minister Boris Johnson have not impacted growing support for independence, a new poll has found.
A poll by Panelbase, commissioned by the pro-independence business group Business for Scotland, showed a reversal in the result in the 2014 independence referendum with support for independence reaching 55 per cent.
Support for No also fell to 45 per cent, with this poll the fifth in a row showing a clear lead for Yes.
When undecideds are taken into account, support for independence has a nine point lead over No, with 51 per cent saying they would vote yes versus 42 per cent for no, with 7 per cent undecided.
Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp, chief executive of Business for Scotland and the grass roots independence campaign Believe in Scotland said the poll was a “huge landmark”.
He said:“The reversal of the 2014 result is a huge landmark; 55% Yes will send shockwaves throughout the political world. There is no conclusion to draw from this new set of data other than the writing is very definitely on the wall for the union.
“Our June poll found independence support at 54%. That poll changed the dynamic of the constitutional conversation and led to claims of panic in the Westminster cabinet, with a series of high profile Tory visits to Scotland.
"We also saw the effective firing of the Conservative leader in Scotland and the Westminster Government doubling down on its undemocratic threat to deny referendum after an SNP majority. However, none of that frenetic activity seems to have helped the union, if anything it has made things worse.
“This poll is important when you consider that Yes Campaign started at 27% and grew to 45% support over the period of the campaign.
“The referendum that will be demanded following May 2021 Holyrood elections, on these figures, would start with Yes to independence commanding a 10% lead. Independence is now significantly the majority decision of the people of Scotland and its momentum looks solid.”