9th Sep 2014 05:32
London (Alliance News) - An opinion poll published Tuesday showed a swing to Scotland's pro-independence camp, leaving it tied with the pro-unionists at 41%, nine days before Scots vote on whether to leave the UK.
The poll of 990 people by TNS showed support for independence among those certain to vote was up by 3 percentage points from 38% last month, while support for the union was down from 46%.
"This poll reveals a remarkable shift in voting intentions but the signs were evident in our last couple of polls which indicated a narrowing of the 'No' lead, especially amongst those who told us that they were certain to vote," said Tom Costley, head of TNS Scotland.
"It is too close to call and both sides will now be energized to make the most of the last few days of the campaign and try and persuade the undecided voters of the merits of their respective campaigns," he continued.
The polls comes two days after a poll by YouGov for the first time put the pro-independence camp narrowly ahead, by 51% to 49%.
Blair Jenkins, leader of the Yes Scotland pro-independence campaign, described Tuesday's poll as a "breakthrough poll which confirms that Yes has the momentum".
"Last September the No lead was 22 points - now Yes has surged to draw level at 50/50, and our campaign has the wind in its sails. Yes support is rising particularly strongly among women and Labour voters," he added.
But Blair McDougall, campaign director for the pro-union Better Together campaign, said he was confident that Scots would vote against independence.
"The last couple of days will be seen as the moment the referendum got real," he said. "We know from these polls that there is no room for a protest vote."
The fall in the pound on Monday showed "how serious a risk" independence was to the economy, pensions and the health service, he added.
Copyright dpa