Scottish leader calls for ‘new conversation’ on independence

Former Green party leader Ms Bennett said of her inclusion in the box: “Sunday Times living in 1950s: 20% British women aged 45 no children, expected to rise to 25%”.

The Scottish First Minister said every poll taken since the Britain’s Leave vote had shown an escalation of support for independence in comparison with the 2014 referendum, when voters backed staying in the United Kingdom by 55 percent to 45.

In a speech set to be given on Friday, Sturgeon will ask supporters to join in on Scotland’s “biggest ever political listening exercise”, in an effort to measure the support for a new referendum on independence.

It comes after Scotland voted largely in favour of remaining in the European Union, while much of England and Wales voted to leave.

A YouGov poll published a week after the Brexit vote however showed most Scots still wanted to remain a part of Britain, by 53 per cent to 47 per cent.

But Ms Sturgeon said the Brexit vote and the decision of Labour to “press the self-destruct button” had created a “double whammy” that made it necessary to look again at independence.

But it comes as a new poll shows 50% of Scottish people are actually opposed to a second referendum.

This news story is related to Print/147423-Scottish-leader-launches-freedom-drive/ – breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. “They don’t want to have another referendum and lose, or the dream will die”.

“We must not assume that people’s views – yes or no – are the same today as they were in 2014”.

The EU referendum has brought some high-profile changes of allegiance.

In a statement released following the publication of extracts from the book in the Sunday Times magazine, the first minister said: “This was obviously a painful experience for Peter and I and while Mandy has known about it for some time, she has always respected our decision not to talk about it publicly”.

“It is time Nicola Sturgeon got back to the day job”, he added.

Her sensational claims come nearly two years after the September 2014 referendum where 55% of Scotland voted to stay part of the UK. That would make balancing the books hard without unpopular austerity measures which the SNP opposes.

“But it will also examine projections for Scotland’s finances in the context of independence and consider a policy programme – with social justice at its heart – to grow the economy and reduce Scotland’s deficit to a sustainable level”.

May has spoken out against Scottish independence and promised to involve Scotland in negotiations on Britain’s future relationship with the EU.

More than 2.5 million people have signed a petition calling for a second referendum. It did not do so in the 2014 independence referendum and persuaded a lot of voters that Scotland is inherently rich.

“Once that idea is out there, it is very hard to reel it back”, said one senior SNP member, who requested anonymity.