JUST a quarter of Scots believe there should be a third “devo-max” option on the ballot paper at a future Scottish independence referendum, a poll has found.
There have been calls from the likes of STUC general secretary Roz Foyer to expand the range of options for voters during indyref2 and allow the possibility of further devolution.
Labour and the LibDems have also indicated support for putting a third choice before the electorate – something former First Minister Alex Salmond actually suggested before the 2014 referendum.
READ MORE: Tories ‘preparing for a Scottish independence referendum’ despite rhetoric
His “full devolution” option was rejected by prime minister David Cameron. The proposal would have seen Holyrood taking on controls over most domestic policy areas, with foreign policy and defence still reserved to the UK Government.
A poll carried out by YouGov for The Times from March 4-8 found that 51% of people would prefer a two-way referendum, as seen in 2014 with voters given the choice of Yes or No to an independent Scotland. Just a quarter of respondents wanted a third choice, while another 25% of people were not sure.
A devo-max arrangement was also the least popular path for Scotland’s future – 21% wanted it compared to 28% who support the status-quo, and 38% who said independence was the best option. A further 14% of people were not sure.
David Cameron rejected a devo-max option ahead of the 2014 indyref
Former Scotland Office director Alun Evans has called for a third option of greater powers to be considered at a future referendum.
However Westminster is not keen on giving any more power to Scotland. Former Union Unit head Luke Graham recently commented that giving the SNP more power is “as effective as giving a bully your lunch money”.
Meanwhile the same poll for the newspaper found that just 1% of Scots believe Brexit has been very positive for Scotland’s economy. Another 4% said it had been fairly positive.
READ MORE: Brexit: New figures reveal 'grim' damage to Scotland's food and drink sector
Some 33% said it was fairly negative, with 19% describing it as very negative.
A majority (52%) said they would want to rejoin the EU if a referendum was held today.
The news comes after new ONS statistics revealed exports from Scotland’s fish and shellfish sector were down 83% after Brexit, while meat and dairy reported decreases of EU exports of 59% and 50% respectively.
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