Sturgeon ‘convinced’ Scots they would vote for independence despite poll drop

Nicola Sturgeon said she believes Scottish will vote for it Scottish Independence despite a drop in recent polls.

In the first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic, support for Scottish independence reached record levels – rising to 56% of the vote in an Ipsos Mori poll for STV.

But that number has steadily decreased since then, raising doubts about the possibility of a victory for the Yes campaign in another vote.

But Nicola Sturgeon said in the days leading up to Thursday’s general election that she thinks Scots would still choose to leave the UK if given the chance for another referendum – which she claims is due late next year will take place.

“I set out my thoughts on this at the Scottish Parliament election last year when I was standing for re-election First Minister and my government for re-election,” she said on BBC Breakfast.

“We have said we want to give people the choice of independence in the first half of this Scottish election period, so before the end of next year – 2023.”

She added: “I am convinced that when they have this choice again, people will vote for Scottish independence – most of the promises made to Scotland in the last referendum by those who argued against independence – not least, that we would have continued in the European Union – have been broken.

“But of course it is a matter for the Scottish people and I recognize the responsibility I have and those who argue for independence have to make this case and win this argument.”

The First Minister hinted during an appearance on Loose Women last month that she would resign if Scots voted no in another referendum.

But she said on Monday “that’s not a scenario I’m working towards.”

The First Minister’s comments come after her government was ordered by Scotland’s Information Commissioner to release parts of legal advice to ministers on independence.

Following a request for information from the Scot for legal advice in 2020 – which was denied by the Scottish Government – Darren Fitzhenry ruled that some of the information should be made public by June 10, although ministers have 42 days to appeal the ruling.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland on Monday, the First Minister said giving such legal advice was a breach of the Ministerial Code.

“You are aware of the provisions of the Ministerial Code whereby ministers like myself discuss the content of legal advice – if I did that today you would no doubt make me tomorrow to express myself in very legitimate journalistic terms, which I would like to add quickly, of breach of blaming the Ministerial Code, so I won’t go into that,” she said.

According to the Ministerial Code, acknowledging the existence of legal advice is not prohibited and the disclosure of such advice could take place in “extraordinary circumstances”.

Last year the Scottish Government – under heavy pressure following a vote in Parliament – released legal advice it had received after the former First Minister Alex Salmond took legal action against him over the botched investigation into the handling of harassment complaints.

“The reason we are looking at this carefully is the long standing convention, not just in Scotland but the UK and probably most other countries around the world, that governments routinely do not publish legal advice because we value the ability to to receive free and open legal advice,” she added.

“So if we deviate from that convention, that’s a pretty important thing, it breaks precedent, and we want to look at that carefully.”