THE rest of Britain is furious with independence-loving Scots who want to break away having trousered billions in taxpayers’ help, it has emerged.
An exclusive ComRes survey for The Sun has delivered the first snapshot view of what English and Welsh voters think since Scotland boss Nicola Sturgeon unveiled her shock plan for a fresh independence poll on Monday.
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It found support among them for Scotland to stay part of the UK is still strong.
And in a recent Times poll an overwhelming 57 per cent of Scots have said they want to remain in the UK.
Independence supporters gathered in George Square following Nicola Sturgeon's announcement for a fresh voteCredit: Getty Images
But an over overwhelming number think Scots who do want to go it alone should be more grateful to them for the £9bn of net annual subsidies we send north of the border.
Almost three quarters - 73% - said they should appreciate the huge payout, while just 8% disagreed.
In another sign of how divisive a fresh independence poll could be, the ComRes survey of 900 voters yesterday also found less than a third of English and Welsh - 29% - think the country would be worse off if Scotland went it alone.
Some wore T-shirts with the slogan 'Sovereign Scot - nae British slave'Credit: Getty Images
And three out of five - 61% - say it would either make no difference or the remainder of Britain would be richer.
Despite not wanting it, almost half of the rest of us Brits still think Scotland will go independent in the next 20 years, by 47% to 21%, with 32% saying they don’t know.
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There is also strong backing for Theresa May’s expected block on any new independence vote until the UK has fully left the EU.
Ms Sturgeon has demanded a vote between Autumn 2018 and Spring 2019 before any Brexit deal with the EU is fully ratified.
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Scottish people backed staying in the United Kingdom in the 2014 referendumCredit: Getty Images
But the PM’s readiness to throw that out and insist on a delay is backed by 61% versus 25%.
And a majority of 56% to 30% think Ms Sturgeon is wrong to call for a second independence referendum to address what she dubbed “a democratic deficit” as most Scots voted to Remain in the EU.
There is little support for England to break away from the rest of the UK and go independent, with less than a quarter – 23% - wanting that and 62% not.
English and Welsh voters also agree by a ratio of four to one that Scottish independence would be ‘economically catastrophic’ for the country.
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