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A majority of people across the UK expect Scotland to be independent within a decade, according to the largest ever survey of attitudes to Brexit.

The mass poll of website readers found 54.7 per cent believe the shock decision to leave the European Union will lead to the break-up of Britain.

And Scots are even more certain that the UK’s days are numbered - 56 per cent of readers north of the border expect to be independent in the next ten years.

The findings of the 46,000-strong Google survey, which included website readers of the Daily Record and our sister titles in England highlight the extent of constitutional uncertainty still gripping Britain seven months after the EU referendum.

A majority in each part of the UK expect the country to split within a decade. The figure was 54.6 per cent for England, 51.7 per cent in Wales and 56.7 per cent in Northern Ireland.

The results come as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is widely expected to call a second independence referendum within weeks.

The SNP leader has repeatedly said a new vote on breaking-up Britain was “highly likely”, despite describing the 2014 referendum as a once in a generation opportunity.

And she insists there is little evidence that Prime Minister Theresa May is listening to Scotland’s concerns about the Brexit process.

Responding to the poll results, an SNP spokesman said: “If the Tories think they can do whatever they want to Scotland and get away with it, more and more people will reject their isolationist vision for the future of the UK.

“No wonder people across these islands are reflecting on the possibilities and opportunities of a different constitutional settlement.”

(Image: PA)

But Sturgeon will be troubled by another finding of the survey revealing a majority of Scots would prioritise immigration controls over access to the EU’s single market.

The First Minister is hoping to keep freedom of movement for EU citizens to live in Scotland in return for being able to maintain existing trade arrangements.

But the survey suggests 52.6 per cent of Scots think border control is more important than the single market. The figure for England, where immigration has dominated the Brexit debate, is only slightly higher at 53.4 per cent.

Graeme Pearson, chief executive of the pro-UK group Scotland in Union, stressed that polls show a majority of Scots still back the UK and do not want another independence referndum.

“We know the majority of people in Scotland and across the UK want us to stay despite the wall to wall negativity we see from the nationalists,” he said.

“Our partnership has given us 300 years of peace and prosperity and it continues to be in the interests of each of our nations to keep working together. In this time of uncertainty we must unite rather than divide.

“We need to send a clear message that the nationalists do not speak for Scotland with their grievances and threats and keep making the positive case for us remaining in the UK.”

The survey also asked readers what politicians had impressed them in the aftermath to vote to leave.

Unsurprisingly, Sturgeon topped the poll in Scotland, where 39.7 per cent thought she had done well. Theresa May came second, having impressed 23.9 per cent of Scots.

Those findings were flipped in England, where May was considered impressive by 31.8 per cent of readers. Meanwhile Sturgeon, who was widely praised for her response on June 24, impressed 15.8 per cent of English readers.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had only impressed 11 per cent of readers in England. Astonishingly, this meant both Sturgeon and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson (13 per cent) had higher ratings south of the border. His rating in Scotland was 10.7 per cent.

The poll showed that Britain as a whole remains deeply divided over Brexit.

If the EU referendum was repeated now, the survey predicts a marginal victory for Remain (51 per cent) based on the number of people who would change their vote.

(Image: Yuk Moi/PA Wire)

Across the UK, a total 13.5 per cent of people who voted out would now vote in, compared to 9.3 per cent who voted in who would now vote out.

In Scotland, 15.8 per cent of people who voted out would now vote in, compared to 10.8 per cent who voted in who would now vote out.

But with roughly an equal number of people switching sides this would mean the overall result in Scotland would still be an overwhelming vote for remain of 62 per cent to 38 per cent.

The survey also discovered that one third (32.9 per cent) of Scots feel less confident about the future since Theresa May set out her hard Brexit vision in a speech last month. Only one fifth (19.6 per cent) of Scots feel more confident since the speech.

Just over half (51.3 per cent) of respondents were against holding a second referendum once the terms of the Brexit deal are known.

The Google Survey had 44,681 completed responses, of which 35.4 per cent were women.

A total of 35,020 were from England, 4,322 from Scotland, 1,911 from Wales and 1,164 from Northern Ireland.

Google Surveys use reader’s age, gender and geographical location to build a representative sample.