Nicola Sturgeon told Theresa May that time was “fast running out” for her government to take heed of Scotland’s Brexit wishes

The SNP is close to ditching one of its longest-held principles for Scottish independence — full membership of the European Union, The Times has learnt.

Senior party figures want to adopt a Norway-style model under which an independent Scotland would stay inside the single market, but outside the EU, after Brexit, according to sources. They believe that this would allow Scotland to retain the benefits of the European single market while continuing to trade within the UK as it does now.

A poll published yesterday found that more than a third of people who voted for an independent Scotland in the 2014 referendum want to stay outside the EU. SNP strategists believe that this new approach would keep these voters behind their independence cause.

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