Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP David Mundell has welcomed the result of a new poll commissioned by ITV Border which shows a substantive lead for the No Campaign across the South of Scotland. The local MP believes the poll shows the momentum is firmly with the Pro-UK campaign and that their positive message is resonating with local communities, who see the benefits of cross-border trade and co-operation on a daily basis. Whilst the lead is not surprising and reflects the mood on the doorstep, it does come as a real boost after a concerted effort by the Better Together campaign locally. Local activists have been knocking on thousands of doors and a number of high profile politicians have been out on the local campaign trail, including the Prime Minister David Cameron who visited Mr Mundell’s constituency last month.
ComRes carried out the survey on behalf of ITV Border, speaking to 1,001 adults aged 16 and over in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway Council areas between the 9th and 15th June. They were asked ‘should Scotland be an independent country?’. Of those who said they were likely to vote the results were:
No – 61%
Yes – 26%
Don’t know – 13%
That means that when don’t knows were excluded, that 70% of respondents said they will be voting No, with the Yes Campaign on just 30%.
Commenting David Mundell MP said: “This poll very much echoes what we have been hearing on the doorstep and shows that the No Campaign has the momentum with less than 100 days to go. More importantly it shows that our positive case for the United Kingdom is resonating with voters and that Yes Scotland are not able to give our communities the reassurance or answers they need. We are being asked to take a massive gamble and I am not surprised that here in this part of the world where many jobs and livelihoods are dependent on cross border trade and co-operation that local people are saying ‘No Thanks’ to Alex Salmond and the Yes Campaign.
“There is no room for complacency and we must be mindful that the only poll that matters is on the 18th of September. There is still a lot of work to be done and it is really important that both campaigns get out there and speak to undecided voters locally who want more information before they make up their mind.”