What next for Scotland? The independence question and the future of the UK
Support for Scottish independence is rising, with opinion polls showing a clear majority of Scots wanting Scotland to leave the UK.
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Support for Scottish independence is rising, with opinion polls showing a clear majority of Scots wanting Scotland to leave the UK.
However, Boris Johnson’s government is committed to holding the union together and does not want to agree to a second independence referendum, although the SNP will try to use the results of the 2021 Scottish parliamentary election to ramp up pressure.
What are the reasons for the growing support for Scottish independence? What would need to happen for a legal, fair and decisive referendum to take place? And what can the UK government do to keep the UK together?
On our panel to discuss these issues were:
- Sir John Curtice, Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University and Senior Research Fellow at NatCen
- Professor Sionaidh Douglas-Scott, Anniversary Chair in Law at Queen Mary University of London and Law and Public Affairs Fellow at Princeton University; and former special legal adviser for the Scottish Parliament European and External Relations Committee
- Andrew Wilson, former Member of the Scottish Parliament and Chair of the Sustainable Growth Commission
- Jess Sargeant, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
The event was chaired by Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.
- Topic
- Devolution
- Keywords
- Scottish independence The union
- Political party
- Scottish National Party
- Administration
- Johnson government May government Cameron government Cameron-Clegg coalition government
- Devolved administration
- Scottish government
- Legislature
- Scottish parliament
- Public figures
- Nicola Sturgeon Boris Johnson Alister Jack
- Publisher
- Institute for Government