A majority of Scots would vote to stay in the UK to hold a referendum on independence tomorrow, a new poll has shown.
A survey among 1,015 Scots suggests that 46% would vote against Scottish independence, compared to 43% for.
However, when insecure voters are excluded, the Savante ComRes poll for Scotland Sunday newspapers indicate 52% to 48% in favor of the alliance.
The survey is the first to be conducted since then Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond testified in Holyroad’s investigation into the former prime minister’s investigation.
Conducted two days after Sturgeon, the current first minister, appeared before the committee, the survey found that 35% of respondents said the investigation reduced their likelihood of voting for independence.
Another 16% said the investigation made them more likely to vote for, while 41% said it did not change
According to the survey, 43% said their trust in Sturgeon has dropped as a result of the investigation.
But confidence in Salmond has fallen even more, as 57% of respondents trust him less than before the investigation began.
The Scottish Government Committee on Harassment Complaints was set up after Salmond successfully challenged the legality of a government investigation against him.
The former SNP leader, who ran a “yes” campaign in the 2014 independence referendum, was awarded a £ 512,250 payout after it turned out that the investigating officer had previous contact with the two complainants.
In a court in Edinburgh, Lord Pentland described the investigation as “illegal” and “tarnished by obvious bias” after the government ceded a judicial review a week before the case was due to be heard in court.
Chris Hopkins, assistant director of Savanta ComRes, said: “While awareness of the Salmond investigation has surprisingly increased since December, it is not to say that the story has had a major impact on its protagonists, with those saying they trust Nicole Sturgeon and Alex Salmond more and less it is now increasing in almost the same proportions.
“With only a fifth of 2014. No voter will be less supportive of independence because of the saga, his impact on the first minister does not look catastrophic for now – for now.”
The SNP responded, saying: “With Scotland on Sunday / Savanta ComRes themselves stated that this poll is not comparable to previous polls and that it is not properly weighted, it should be treated with caution.
“The SNP is happy an election campaign in which we will work to gain support from all over Scotland continue to protect people from Covid, support the Scottish NHS, create jobs and ensure that, as we recover from the pandemic, the future of Scotland is decided by the people who live here, not Boris Johnson’s Tory Party.
“That’s what people across the country are focused on and that’s what we’re going to do.”
0 Comments