Scots are backing independence in record-breaking numbers, according to a new poll that shows support for a breakaway is now as high as 58%.
The poll, conducted by Savanta ComRes, is the 17th in a row to show a sustained majority for independence.
In addition to independence polling, people were also asked their voting intentions in the 2021 Holyrood elections.
Here, the SNP is projected to win 55% of the constituency vote and 42% of the regional list vote, putting the party on course to secure a majority.
The poll, commissioned by The Scotsman, also states 40% of voters believe a second independence referendum should happen within the next two years.
Chris Hopkins, associate director at Savanta ComRes, told the newspaper: “I think the voting intentions are obviously the most striking parts of this poll, with the SNP on course for an unprecedented second majority government in Holyrood under a system designed to limit such executive power.
“With the SNP’s likely hegemony in Scotland showing very little sign of abating, all evidence points at this stage towards Scotland voting Yes if they were granted another independence referendum and, on this evidence, it may not be that close.”
‘Trump-like bid to deny democracy’
SNP deputy leader Keith Brown MSP said the poll showed “independence is becoming the settled will of the majority of people in Scotland”.
He said: “Faced with an arrogant, out-of-touch Tory government at Westminster, which sidelines Scotland at every opportunity, and is dragging Scotland out of the EU against our will, it’s no surprise that people want a better future.
“Boris Johnson’s Trump-like bid to deny democracy will not stand.
“It is the people who live here who have the right to decide Scotland’s future, not Brexit-obsessed governments we don’t vote for led by the likes of Boris Johnson.
“The referendum that can deliver independence is only possible if people use both votes to back the SNP in May.
“This crucial Scottish parliamentary election is only 140 days away and every vote counts.”
Indyref2: Alister Jack tells SNP to ‘accept’ vote will not be for decades
Boris Johnson has consistently rejected calls to give the Scottish Government power to hold a second independence referendum, telling MPs “a generation has not elapsed” since 2014.