LONDON
A new poll shows a rise in the number of people expected to reject Scottish independence, with just over a month to go before voters go to the polls.
According to a YouGov poll published in Wednesday's Sun newspaper, 55 percent of Scots now back the "No" campaign - up 1 percent on a June YouGov poll; 35 percent - unchanged - said they would vote "Yes" to Scotland leaving the United Kingdom and 20 percent were "undecided."
The referendum will be held September 18, threatening a union that has lasted for 305 years.
A majority of those polled also rejected the idea of a second referendum.
The results come just days after a live TV debate between Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond and Labour MP for Edinburgh Alistair Darling, in which Salmond was pushed on his "Plan B" for Scottish currency should independence succeed and it fail to retain sterling as its unit of currency.
Darling - a former treasury chief - is a leading politician for the Labour opposition in Scotland, where the Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party enjoys little support.
Salmond appears to struggle to come up with an answer and Darling was seen to gain the political upper hand.
A poll Tuesday showed that the majority of Scots favored retaining the pound, but the British government has said that in the event of independence it will lose the right to retain the currency.
Better Together - the organization representing parties, organizations and individuals campaigning for a "No" vote - Campaign Director Blair McDougall said in a statement Wednesday that Salmond’s failure to be honest about his Plan B is costing him votes.
"It’s clear that the momentum in this campaign is with those of us who believe the brightest future for Scotland is to remain part of the UK."
Better Together is an organization representing parties, organizations and individuals campaigning for a "No" vote in the referendum.
"Yes" campaign members, however, refused to be downhearted, citing a separate TNS referendum poll, which showed a 1-point increase in the vote for independence.
"These are encouraging findings - among those in the TNS poll who are certain to vote, the gap has narrowed further this month, putting 'Yes' at a new high,” Yes Scotland chief executive Blair Jenkins said in a statement.
“Once don't knows are excluded, 'Yes' is at 45 percent, and two other recent polls put 'Yes' support as high as 47 percent - within touching distance of a majority in September.”
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