Four in 10 Labour members back Scottish independence

EDINBURGH: Four in 10 Labour Party members back Scottish independence, but a narrow majority still opposes it, according to a new poll.

The YouGov survey for The Times also found eight in 10 members surveyed across the UK would support entering a coalition government with the SNP at Westminster in the event of a hung parliament at the next election.

The poll found that 39 per cent of party members who were questioned support Scotland leaving the UK. However, slightly more are against this, at 41 per cent, while a fifth said they do not know. Among members living in Scotland, opposition to independence was stronger, at 60 per cent, with 31 per cent in favour while 9 per cent did not know.

London and the north of England also had a majority against independence, at 41 per cent to 36 per cent in the capital and 44 per cent to 40 per cent in the north. Elsewhere in the UK a majority of those polled narrowly backed Scottish independence, at 42 per cent to 39 per cent in the south outside London and 40 per cent to 33 per cent in the Midlands and Wales.

Members overwhelmingly back electoral pacts with Remain parties to reverse Brexit, at 67 per cent for and 25 per cent against.

The vast majority of members back a coalition with the SNP in the event of a hung parliament after the next general election at 83 per cent for to 10 per cent against.

More than half, 58 per cent, support forming a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats in this circumstance. The figures are part of a wide-ranging poll which surveyed more than 1,114 Labour Party members between July 17 and 19.