Brexit News: Majority Of Scots Back Independence From UK, Poll Shows

The U.K. may face a new problem as it seeks to leave the EU: Scottish Independence.

Fifty-two percent of Scots have said they would vote for independence if a referendum on the issue were to take place, while 48% said they would choose to keep Scotland in the U.K., according to a new poll released Monday by British pollster Lord Ashcroft. The poll surveyed 1,019 Scottish voters.

Scots may be discontent with the U.K.'s decision to exit the European Union, as the Scottish majority largely voted for the U.K. to remain in the bloc. By voting for independence, Scots may feel they could then negotiate to stay in the EU on their own terms.

"Majority of people in Scotland now want #Indyref2 and would vote for independence," First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon tweeted Monday. She then added that attempts by the Conservative Party "to block Scotland's right to choose our own future are undemocratic and unsustainable."

Scotland can only have a referendum on its independence if the U.K. allows it to do so, in accordance with section 30 of the Scotland Act. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that he would refuse to allow it.

Another part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, has also expressed the possibility of leaving the U.K. due to Brexit.

In 2014, Scots voted in a referendum to see if they were willing to split from the U.K. and become an independent country. Fifty-five percent of Scots choose to stay in the U.K.

The Scottish are also unhappy with the U.K. Conservative Party that heads the government. The Conservatives have been unpopular with the Scottish since the Thatcher era in the 1980s.

The U.K. referendum to leave the EU took place in June 2016, with the majority of Brits choosing to leave.

The referendum was scheduled as a political move by then-Prime Minister David Cameron to appease pro-Brexit members of his Conservative Party, although he himself did not support the move.