Scottish Independence Poll: 85% of UK Businesses Are Against Union Break

A British Chambers of Commerce survey has revealed that a whopping 85% of businesses outside of Scotland want the country to remain part of the UK.

The report, which surveyed 2,400 Chamber members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, also revealed that only 11% of firms said that Scotland should become an independent country.

"Business opinion across the United Kingdom on the Scottish independence debate is far from unanimous. That's only logical, as businesses have different interests, and different views on our complex history of economic and political union," said John Longworth, Director General of the BCC.

"Businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland remain less than captivated by the intense debate unfolding north of the border. Yet they do have views on the potential impacts of a change in Scotland's relationship with the rest of the UK."

Scottish people will vote in an independence referendum on 18 September this year and will be asked the straight "yes/no" question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

The referendum period starts on 30 May.

Scottish Parliament Power

With just over four months to go until Scotland votes, the BCC intends to use this survey as a way to examine the impacts, opportunities and risks perceived by businesses in the rest of the UK.

The survey also explores how non-Scottish businesses would react to a 'yes' or 'no' vote.

According to the survey, if Scotland votes to remain part of the UK, almost half of businesses believe that the current division of power should remain the same while exactly a quarter of businesses said that the Scottish Parliament should have more power.

However, a fifth of businesses also said the Scottish government should have less power.

"In the event of a 'yes' vote, cross-border trading and currency arrangements loom large in businesses' thinking. If Scotland votes 'no', constitutional questions remain around the devolution of power and the distribution of public funding between nations," said Longworth.

"Business communities across the UK have diverse views on the Scottish independence debate. Yet one thing is for certain. Regardless of how Scotland votes in September, things will never be quite the same again."

Last week, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce has revealed that 77% of businesses have identified potential risks to the country's economy, in the event that voters choose to end the 307-union with England.

According to the group's a survey of Scottish business opinion, on the issues surrounding the Scottish independence referendum, 56% also say that the quality of the referendum debates are poor or worse than expected.