JUST over one in five of Britain’s business leaders believe Scottish independence poses a significant risk to their company, a new study has found.

The Ipsos MORI’s annual Captains of Industry survey, which interviewed 102 British business leaders between February and July discovered "little resistance" to the concept of an independent Scotland.

Some 22% of leaders of Britain’s biggest businesses agreed that ‘If Scotland became an independent country, it would be a significant risk to my company’, while 54% disagreed and one in five were either neutral or have no opinion.

Just 4% said they do not think Scotland will become independent at some point.

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The study which examined the thoughts of chairmen, chief executives, managing directors, financial directors and other executives in some of the UK's biggest companies, found that 95% were confident that “my company would adapt to the consequences if Scotland became an independent country”.

The Herald:

But most do not see independence as offering potential new opportunities.

Some 72% disagree that “If Scotland became an independent country, it would bring significant new opportunities for my company”.

Recent opinion polls suggest that for the first time a sustained majority of Scottish voters would back leaving the UK in a second referendum — a result that would reverse the 2014 vote, which rejected independence by 55-45 per cent.

Emily Gray, managing director of Ipsos MORI Scotland, said: “With a Holyrood election looming and recent polls showing that public opinion has tipped in favour of Scottish independence, we are likely to see renewed debate about the economic implications of independence.

"This survey shows that the leaders of Britain’s biggest businesses are relatively relaxed about the potential implications of Scottish independence for their companies, viewing it as something they will adapt to if necessary.”

The study which took in the views of businesses across the spectrum from the BBC, BUPA, Deloitte and Glaxosmithkline to Jaguar Land Rover, Standard Life Aberdeen, Virgin Money and the Weir Group painted a more grim picture over prospects over the next 12 months as the country deals with the coronavirus pandemic.

Two thirds expect the economic condition of the country to worsen over the next year, with 30% believing it will improve.

Some 42% think that business for their own company will worsen over the next 12 months but not to the extent felt in the 2008 recession.

And 66% have shown confidence that the government’s economic policy will improve the state of the economy in the long term.

Nicola Sturgeon revived plans for a possible second Scottish independence referendum, pledging to publish draft legislation for a new vote before next May’s elections for the parliament in Edinburgh.

The First Minister announced the resumption of work on the bill in her annual programme for government published last month.

The policy programme document said the combination of the impact of the pandemic and the UK’s exit from the EU showed the “limitations” of the devolved Scottish parliament’s ability to “protect and renew” the country.

“That is why, before the end of this [Scottish] parliament, we will publish a draft bill for an independence referendum — setting out the terms of a future referendum clearly and unambiguously to the people of Scotland,” the document said.

A majority in Scotland voted to remain in the EU in 2016.