After the 2019 general election, in which the SNP won comfortably in Scotland, Ms Sturgeon formally requested powers from Westminster to hold a second independence referendum – but the notion was firmly rejected by the Prime Minister. Mr Johnson said in January: “You and your predecessor (Alex Salmond) made a personal promise that the 2014 independence referendum was a ‘once in a generation’ vote. “The people of Scotland voted decisively on that promise to keep our United Kingdom together, a result which both the Scottish and UK governments committed to respect in the Edinburgh Agreement.”
However, expert on public law Professor Aileen McHarg told Express.co.uk that the “once in a generation” argument used by unionists may not work forever.
She says that it has no legal backing, and it is difficult to define.
Professor McHarg said: “What the UK government are saying is that the SNP said the 2014 vote would be a once in a generation referendum, therefore we are going to hold them to that.
“The significance of any statement about it being once in a generation are highly dubious, and they have no legal standing.
“They are in no way legally binding – it’s unclear what a generation means, how long is a generation?
“It has some political plausibility, but the longer this goes on, the less you can rely on that line.
“It is very uncertain. A lot of this depends on public opinion in Scotland.
“If support for independence continues to grow, it will become much harder to hold the line for the UK government without significant discontent.”
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon warned ‘Alex Salmond wants revenge’
Chief executive of Business for Scotland Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp said: “The reversal of the 2014 result is a huge landmark. 55 percent Yes will send shockwaves throughout the political world.
“There is no conclusion to draw from this new set of data other than the writing is very definitely on the wall for the Union.”
SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said: “With consecutive polls putting support for independence above 50 percent, it’s clear this is not a trend but the established position of the Scottish electorate.”
