LONDON

A majority of Europeans across key EU member states would support an independent Scotland rejoining the European Union, according to new polling by YouGov.

The survey, done across five continental nations – Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain – found widespread support for Scotland’s EU aspirations should it vote to leave the UK Between 63% and 75% of respondents in those countries said they would welcome Scotland into the EU as an independent member state.

In the 2016 UK vote to leave the bloc, Brexit was heavily opposed in Scotland.

While Labour leader and Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ruled out any attempt to rejoin the EU in the near term, questions over the future of the UK itself are likely to persist.

The prospect of a second Scottish independence referendum remains live, with the Scottish National Party continuing to press for another vote following the UK’s departure from the EU.

In Britain itself, where Scottish independence remains a divisive issue, public opinion appears more sympathetic to Scotland’s potential EU ambitions than might be expected.

The poll shows that more Britons would support an independent Scotland joining the EU (46%) than would oppose it (32%).

The wider YouGov EuroTrack survey also explored attitudes across Europe towards the UK rejoining the EU, including whether a returning Britain should be allowed to keep its former opt-outs from key EU policies like the euro and the Schengen zone.