MORE than half of Scottish voters have said ‘another referendum on Scotland leaving the UK should not be held next year,’ according to a new poll for Scotland in Union. 

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has previously said that she intends to hold a second vote on the constitution on October 19 next year.

However, according to the Survation poll for the pro-Union group, only 35 per cent of Scots back her call. 

The planned plebiscite is dependent on a ruling from the Supreme Court. Nicola Sturgeon has tasked Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain with seeking a ruling from the justices on the legality of Holyrood staging its own vote without the agreement of Westminster.

The court will start hearing the case next week. 

The First Minister said that if the court refused it would be “the fault of Westminster legislation” and she would fight the next general election as a “de facto referendum” on the single issue of independence.

According to the Scotland in Union poll, only 31% of voters “believe that the next General Election should be used as a de-facto referendum on Scotland leaving the UK.”    

Another 51% disagree, while another 17% don’t know. 

Unlike every other pollster, which asks people the same yes-no question as the ballot paper in the 2014 referendum, the Scotland in Union survey asks voters if they wish to remain in the UK or leave the UK. 

They found that 51% of voters would want to Remain in the UK, while 36% would leave.

Another 13% are unsure. When the don’t knows are removed, Remain is on 59% and leave is on 41%. 

It was a mixed poll for Ms Sturgeon. While there’s been little movement around the constitution, her party looks set to remain dominant in Westminster and Holyrood. 

The poll is the third in 24 hours to show a complete collapse in the Scottish Tory vote. 

READ MORE: Scottish Tories face wipeout at general election

At the next General Election, Survation say Douglas Ross’s party would fall four points to 15%, almost certainly guaranteeing a 1997 like wipeout of all six of their MP..

The SNP remain dominant on 44%, while Labour’s vote has surged by seven points to 31%. 

At Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon’s party would win 45% of the constituency vote, while the Tories would take only 15%. Labour would comfortably move into second place with 30% while the Lib Dems would take 6%. 

However, on the list vote, Survation predicts Labour coming within five points of the SNP, winning 27% of the vote to the governing party’s 31%. 

Both the Tories and the Greens would take 14%, while the Lib Dems would be on 9% and Alex Salmond’s Alba would take 2%. 

Responding to the poll, Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: “It’s time for the SNP to start listening to the people of Scotland.

“The majority of people in Scotland do not want another divisive referendum next year and oppose the government spending millions of pounds on this.

“This poll also confirms yet again that Scotland wants to remain part of the UK.

“There is no such thing as a ‘de facto referendum’ and the findings show that most voters oppose the SNP’s idea to make the next General Election solely about the constitution; instead, it must be about the issues which really matter to people.

“Many Yes voters from 2014 have changed their minds and would now vote to remain in the UK, with the poll revealing that they are particularly concerned about public services in a separate Scotland.

“Amid a cost-of-living crisis, as part of the UK we can invest more in public services, protect jobs and livelihoods, and bring communities together.”