The UK Government is facing demands to publish previously undisclosed Scottish independence polling after a Freedom of Information request revealed that the Cabinet Office has carried out research on the constitutional question since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
The SNP is calling for the findings, supporting documents and costs to be made public, arguing that taxpayers should be able to see research undertaken using public resources.
The disclosure has renewed questions about what Westminster is seeking to establish about attitudes towards Scottish independence and why the results have not been released.
Burnham became Prime Minister in July 2026, and the Cabinet Office has since conducted polling on independence, according to reporting of the Freedom of Information response.
However, the number of surveys, their precise questions, findings and overall cost have not been established publicly.
The SNP describes the research as a significant operation, although the available information does not independently establish its scale or demonstrate that the Government is concealing unfavourable results.
SNP MSP Calum Kerr has now challenged ministers to release the documents in full and explain how much public money has been spent.
He said:
“Just a week after the UK Government conceded we could have had a £1 trillion oil fund, we now know a secret Scottish independence research operation has commenced under Andy Burnham.
“The UK Labour Government must publish these documents and results in full and you can only conclude that their unwillingness to disclose the costs demonstrates this programme of research must be extensive.
“Poll after poll shows independence is the preferred position of the Scottish people, 3 out of 4 nations in the UK are led by pro-independence First Ministers and the British Prime Minister has agreed it is for the Scotland people to decide our own future.
“It is no wonder this behind closed doors Whitehall operation is in place.
“Through a fresh start with independence Scotland, we can use our vast energy resources to build a wealthier, fairer, Scotland back home in the EU.”
The controversy has echoes of an earlier dispute over independence polling commissioned during the previous Conservative administration.
Between January 2018 and May 2019, the UK Government spent at least £264,807 commissioning research into public attitudes towards the Union, with the refusal to disclose findings prompting a lengthy challenge over transparency.
Former SNP MP Tommy Sheppard, who pursued the earlier disclosure issue, has also questioned why taxpayers should be denied access to research funded through government spending.
The UK Government maintains that it regularly commissions research across the country to understand public priorities and inform policy, while continuing to oppose another Scottish independence referendum.
The constitutional debate remains closely contested, with different polling organisations producing differing results on whether Scotland should become independent.
A YouGov survey conducted between 29 September and 5 October found 47% support for independence and 53% opposition among respondents expressing a voting preference.
That makes it important to distinguish public polling evidence from political interpretations of the wider constitutional debate.
There is nothing inherently improper about a government researching public opinion, including on an issue as significant as Scottish independence.
The question raised by the latest disclosure is whether the Cabinet Office should provide greater transparency about the research it has commissioned, the information it gathered and the public money involved.
Until those details are published, the scale of the exercise and its findings will remain unknown.
