Union In Crisis As Polls Reveal Voters Want Referendum On Scottish Independence And United Ireland

Sunday Times ✒ The UK is facing a constitutional crisis that will strain the Union as new polls reveal a majority of voters in Scotland and Northern Ireland want referendums on the break-up of Britain.

Tim Shipman & Jason Allardyce

A four-country survey we commissioned, based on separate polls in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales, also found that the sense of British identity that once bound the country together is disintegrating.

And in another significant move, the Scottish National Party (SNP) announced that it is prepared to call a wildcat referendum of its own if Boris Johnson refuses to grant one himself — a move that puts the two governments on a constitutional collision course.

In Northern Ireland, a majority — 51 per cent to 44 per cent — want a referendum about the border within the next five years. And unionists hold only a slender lead over those who want a united Ireland now — 47 per cent to 42 per cent — but another 11% are undecided, enough to threaten the future of the UK.

The LucidTalk survey in Northern Ireland found that among those aged under 45, supporters of Irish reunification outnumber those who want to stay in the UK by 47 per cent to 46 per cent.

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