Poll shows majority of Scots wish to stay in EU
Some 57 per cent of people in Scotland would vote to stay in the EU if a referendum were held, compared with 37 per cent of people across the UK, a YouGov poll found. Just 28 per cent of people in Scotland want to leave compared with 47 per cent across the UK.
First Minister-in-waiting Nicola Sturgeon said the results reinforce her demand for an EU exit to require the assent of all of the nations of the UK, rather than a simple UK majority.
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Hide AdBut the poll also shows that the Wales/Midlands area may be the most eurosceptic with support of the EU running at just a third.
Ms Sturgeon has not ruled out holding another Scottish independence referendum, particularly if Scotland is at risk of being withdrawn from the EU against its will.
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“If another referendum happens it will not be dictated by politicians – it will be down to the will of the Scottish people,” she said.
When asked if an EU exit would precipitate another independence referendum, Ms Sturgeon said: “I think if that scenario was to unfold there would be significant disquiet and concern within Scotland.
“Europe needs reform and change, it’s not perfect, but our interests are best served within it and for us to be taken out against our will would be democratically indefensible.
“What I am suggesting is if there is an in/out EU referendum, as I now think is inevitable, then for the UK to come out of the EU it would require not just a vote for that across the UK but a vote for that in each of the constituent nations of the UK.”
YouGov surveyed 1,808 adults across Great Britain, 157 of those in Scotland, on 30-31 October.
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