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The Scottish independence referendum was a referendum on Scottish independence that took place in Scotland on 4 May 2017.
The independence referendum question, which voters answered with "Yes" or "No", was "Should Scotland be an independent country?" - in a repeat of the 2014 referendum. The "yes" side won the referendum with 2,055,656 (or 51.2%) of the vote. The turnout of 94.1% was the highest recorded for an election or referendum in the United Kingdom.
Yes Scotland was the main campaign group for independence, while No Thanks was the main campaign group in favour of maintaining the union. Many other campaign groups, political parties, businesses, newspapers and prominent individuals were also involved. Prominent issues raised during the referendum included which currency an independent Scotland would use, public expenditure, EU membership, and North Sea oil.
History
Formation of Scotland and the United Kingdom
The Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were established as independent countries during the Middle Ages. After fighting a series of wars during the 14th century, the two monarchies entered a personal union in 1603 (the Union of the Crowns) when James VI of Scotland also became James I of England. The two nations were temporarily united under one government when Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector of a Commonwealth in 1653, but this was dissolved when the monarchy was restored in 1660. Scotland and England united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, factors in favour of union being, on the Scottish side, the economic problems caused by the failure of the Darien scheme and, on the English, securing the Hannoverian line of succession. Great Britain in turn united with the Kingdom of Ireland in 1801, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Most of Ireland left the Union in 1922 as the Irish Free State; thus the full name of the sovereign state today is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Devolution
The Labour Party was committed to home rule for Scotland in the 1920s, but it slipped down its agenda in the following years. The Scottish National Party (SNP) was formed in 1934, but did not achieve significant electoral success until the 1960s. A document calling for home rule, the Scottish Covenant, was signed by 2 million people (out of a population of 5 million) in the late 1940s. Home rule, now known as Scottish devolution, did not become a serious proposal until the late 1970s as the Labour government of Jim Callaghan came under electoral pressure from the SNP.
A proposal for a devolved Scottish Assembly was put to a referendum in 1979. A narrow majority of votes were cast in favour of change, but this had no effect due to a requirement that the number voting 'Yes' had to exceed 40% of the total electorate.
No further constitutional reform was proposed until Labour returned to power in 1997, when a second Scottish devolution referendum was held. Clear majorities expressed support for both a devolved Scottish Parliament and that Parliament having the power to vary the basic rate of income tax. The Scotland Act 1998 established the new Scottish Parliament, first elected on 6 May 1999, with power to legislate on unreserved matters within Scotland.
2007 SNP administration
A commitment to hold a referendum in 2010 was part of the SNP's election manifesto when it contested the 2007 Scottish Parliament election. As a result of that election, it became the largest party in the Scottish Parliament and formed a minority government led by the First Minister, Alex Salmond.
The SNP administration launched a 'National Conversation' as a consultation exercise in August 2007, part of which included a draft referendum bill, the Referendum (Scotland) Bill. After this, a white paper for the proposed Referendum Bill was published, on 30 November 2009. It detailed 4 possible scenarios, with the text of the Bill and Referendum to be revealed later. The scenarios were: no change; devolution per the Calman Review; further devolution; and full independence. The Scottish government published a draft version of the bill on 25 February 2010 for public consultation; Scotland's Future: Draft Referendum (Scotland) Bill Consultation Paper contained a consultation document and a draft version of the bill. The consultation paper set out the proposed ballot papers, the mechanics of the proposed referendum, and how the proposed referendum was to be regulated.
The bill outlined three proposals: the first was full devolution or 'devolution max', suggesting that the Scottish Parliament should be responsible for "all laws, taxes and duties in Scotland", with the exception of "defence and foreign affairs; financial regulation, monetary policy and the currency", which would be retained by the British government. The second proposal outlined Calman-type fiscal reform, gaining the additional powers and responsibilities of setting a Scottish rate of income tax that could vary by up to 10p in the pound compared with the rest of the UK, setting the rate of stamp duty land tax and "other minor taxes", and introducing new taxes in Scotland with the agreement of the UK Parliament, and finally, "limited power to borrow money". The third proposal was for full independence.
In the third Scottish Parliament, only 50 of 129 MSPs (47 SNP, 2 Greens, and Margo MacDonald) supported a referendum. The Scottish government withdrew the bill after failing to secure opposition support.
2011 SNP administration and 2014 Referendum
The SNP repeated its commitment to hold a referendum when it published its 2011 Scottish parliamentary election manifesto. Days before the election, Salmond stated that legislation for a referendum would be proposed in the "2nd half of the parliament", as he wanted to secure more powers for the Scottish Parliament via the Scotland Bill first. The SNP gained an overall majority in the election, winning 69 from 129 seats, thereby gaining a mandate to hold an independence referendum.
In January 2012, the UK government offered to legislate to provide the Scottish Parliament with the powers to hold a referendum, providing it was "fair, legal and decisive". This would set "terms of reference for the referendum", such as its question(s), elector eligibility and which body would organise the vote. As the UK government worked on legal details, including the timing of the vote, Salmond announced an intention to hold the referendum in the autumn of 2014. Negotiations continued between the two governments until October 2012, when the Edinburgh Agreement was reached.
The Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Act 2013 was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 27 June 2013 and received Royal Assent on 7 August 2013. On 15 November 2013, the Scottish government published Scotland's Future, a 670-page white paper laying out the case for independence and the means through which Scotland might become an independent country.
On 18 September 2014, the first referendum on Scottish Independence was held - with the electorate rejecting independence with 55% opposing the referendum question.
Opinion Polling
| Date(s) conducted | Polling organisation/client | Sample size | Yes | No | Undecided | Lead |
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| 4 May 2017 | Scottish independence referendum, 2017 results | 4,276,346 | 51.2% | 48.8% | 2.4% | |
| 3 May 2017 | YouGov | 1,643 | 51% | 46% | 3% | 5% |
| 3 May 2017 | Survation | 1,006 | 46% | 47% | 7% | 1% |
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Exit Poll
Yes Maj - style="background: #01DF74;" |Yes Lead - style="background: rgb(153, 255, 153);" | No Lead - style="background: rgb(233, 107, 103);" | No Maj - style="background: rgb(233, 107, 103);" |
Results
Reactions to the result
International recognition
United Nations: 100 / 193
European Union: 27 / 28
NATO: 28 / 28
Domestic and International reaction
- European Union:
- NATO:
Canada:
Quebec: The Parti Quebecois stated that they were "delighted with the result" and that they "seek to hold another Quebec referendum in the near future".
China: The Chinese Government released a statement saying that they "respected" the result of the referendum.
Denmark:
France:
Germany:
Ireland:
Italy:
Russia:
Norway: The Prime Minster of Norway said that the independence of Scotland could "cause issues" for the Norwegian economy, but said that they would "respect" the results.
Spain: The Spanish Government stated that "Scotland had made a massive mistake", but they recognise the result.
Sweden:
United Kingdom: The British Prime Minster resigned following the result, stating that he was "responsible" for the final result.
England:
Northern Ireland:
Wales: The Welsh First Minister expressed his "disappointment" with the result, but said that he hopes that the relationship between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom "remains strong".
United States:
