Only quarter of Scots want independence referendum in next year, says poll

A quarter of Scots would support holding a second independence referendum in the next year, while 45 per cent say it should not take place for the next few years, an opinion poll has found.

Only a quarter of Scots have said they want a second Scottish independence referendum in the next year, according to a new poll

The Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times found 25 per cent supported holding a referendum in the next 12 months.

Some 30 per cent said they would support a referendum in the next two to five years, while 45 per cent agreed with the statement "there should not be another Scottish independence referendum in the next few years".

A total of 1,013 Scottish adults were polled online between March 3 and 5.

The poll also found support for a Yes vote stood at 46 per cent, with No on 47 per cent.

When "don't knows" are excluded, this put the weighted support for both Yes and No at 50 per cent each.

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford has suggested an independence vote could take place "as early as late 2021", though other figures in the SNP have refused to be drawn on this comment.

Earlier this week, two other opinion polls suggested support for a No vote had pulled ahead of Yes.

Support for independence was ahead in many opinion polls throughout the latter part of 2020.

The Panelbase/Sunday Times poll also indicated a comfortable lead for the SNP in the coming Scottish Parliament election.

The SNP stood at 47 per cent for the constituency vote, with the Conservatives on 23 per cent, Labour on 20 per cent, the Liberal Democrats on 7 per cent and the Greens on 2 per cent.

For the regional list vote, the SNP were on 38 per cent, the Conservatives on 20 per cent, Labour on 17 per cent and both the Lib Dems and Greens on 6 per cent.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown said the poll showed there was support for a post-pandemic referendum.

He said: “If Scottish voters back the SNP’s plan to hold a post-pandemic referendum, then the Tories have no right to block it.

“The Tories are in panic mode and running scared of democracy, but today’s poll shows that Boris Johnson’s Trump-like attempts to block a referendum are completely unsustainable.”