SCOTLAND’S grey vote could hold the key to Britain staying in the European Union, a poll suggests today as David Cameron warned that Brexit could put UK pensions at risk.
A new online poll of 8,650 over-50s for Saga magazine showed that 56 per cent of people in Scotland favoured Remain while 31 per cent favoured Leave. This contrasted sharply with a split in England, where 40 per cent supported staying in and 47 per cent backed Brexit. In both nations, the don’t knows numbered 13 per cent.
In Wales and Northern Ireland, the numbers were the same: those for In 50 per cent and those for Out 43 per cent with the don’t knows on seven per cent. Polling was carried out between May 16 and 23.
Read more: Kirk members asked to back 'In' vote on EU
The significance of the numbers is that previous polling has indicated that nine out of 10 over-50s will vote on June 23. If the vote is very close, turnout could prove crucial to the result.
Overall on a UK-wide level, the number for staying in the EU was 42 per cent while the number supporting leaving was 46 per cent; this is because the largest part of the UK population is overwhelmingly in England.
In terms of socio-economic groups, the survey showed the split for ABs was 49 per cent for In and 40 per cent for Out while the split for C1s was 37/49, C2s 24/63 and DEs 26/57.
In terms of gender, the Remain/Leave split is: men 42/48 and women 42/42.
Quizzed by Saga magazine, the Prime Minister said divorce with Brussels "would put pensions at risk".
"Everyone,” he argued, “even those who want to leave, accepts there would be an economic shock. We owe it to all the people who have worked hard and saved all their lives to find dignity in retirement."
Read more: Scottish EU referendum votes could have 'potentially decisive impact'
He said uncertainty over visa and residency permit issues for the 100,000 skilled EU workers in the UK care industry would have an "unpredictable effect on frontline services".
But Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliot told the magazine: "By leaving the EU and increasing our trade with the rest of the world, we would become far less vulnerable to being dragged down by the eurozone crisis.
"The value of pensions and investments depends above all on the fundamentals of the British economy."
Read more: Brexit vote 'might deter EU students from attending UK universities'
He stressed there was "no question of throwing out Europeans who are already living here".
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