New Poll Finds Increasing Support In Scotland For Independence From UK

A new poll has determined that a growing percentage of the Scottish population is eager to seek its independence from the U.K.

What Happened: According to a new survey, conducted by Ipsos MORI for STV broadcast network, of more than 1,100 Scottish adults found 55% of respondents were in favor of having Scotland become an independent nation while 45% desired a continued place within the U.K. When a similar poll was conducted in May, the results were evenly split.

Bloomberg reports that the uptick in Scottish fervor for independence follows controversies surrounding U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s administration related to lobbying and ethics. Emily Gray, managing director of Ipsos MORI Scotland, said the poll’s pro-independence tilt could be the result of “what has been a very bad week for Boris Johnson and the Conservatives at Westminster.”

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What Happens Next: Scotland held a referendum on independence in 2014, which resulted in 55.3% of the population opposing the measure and 44.7% supporting it. This occurred several years before the Brexit movement resulted in the U.K. removing itself from the European Union, a move that the majority of Scottish voters opposed.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon pledged to lay the foundations for an independence vote by the end of 2023, although she did not offer specifics on whether the U.K. government would recognize such an endeavor. Johnson has stated that he would not enable another independence referendum to proceed.

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