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Bloomberg
Support for Scottish independence has risen during the coronavirus pandemic, yet the financial reality of breaking away from the UK has been thrown back into the argument again.
The government in Edinburgh recorded a budget deficit of 8.6% of gross domestic product compared with 7.4% a year earlier, according to the annual expenditure and revenue report.
The deficit for the UK as a whole was 2.5% of GDP for the same period, widening from 1.9%, the report said.
“It’s a reflection of Scotland’s position within the United Kingdom now, not a forecast of where an independent Scotland would be in the future,†First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told lawmakers in Edinburgh on Wednesday. The biggest threats facing Scotland are a direct result of UK government decisions such as the “premature ending†of job retention programs and no trade deal with the European Union, she said.
Cracks within the 313-year-old union between England and Scotland have widened during the Covid-19 crisis as the UK recorded the highest death toll in Europe and the biggest economic slump.
While Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced criticism for his handling of it, public backing for Sturgeon and
her Scottish National Party has risen.
More significantly, polls show record support for Scotland breaking away from the rest of the UK.
The latest survey by Panelbase published on August 19 showed 55% of Scots back full autonomy, the highest ever, and compared with 45% when Scots voted in a referendum six years ago.
Scotland has control over health, transportation, education, its own justice system and some taxation.