Study: independence for Scottish economy more expensive than Brexit

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Scottish Prime Minister Sturgeon: UK remains main trading partner

Photo: Andy Buchanan / dpa

According to a study, separating Scotland from Great Britain would be two to three times as expensive as Brexit for the economy in this part of the country.

This was the result of calculations by the London School of Economics (LSE), which were published on Wednesday.

According to the researchers, this cannot be offset by Scotland's accession to the EU.

The UK is by far Scotland's main trading partner - around four times as important as the EU countries put together.

61 percent of all Scottish exports go to the British domestic market, at the same time 67 percent of all goods imported to Scotland come from England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

According to the researchers, a shift in trade flows would only occur in the very long term.

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In a referendum in 2014, a majority of Scots voted in favor of remaining in Great Britain.

However, the topic gained momentum again after the Scots - unlike the British and Welshmen - voted with a clear majority to remain in the EU in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon of the Scottish National Party (SNP) has since been pushing for a new referendum to break away from London.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has so far vehemently rejected this.

Should the SNP win an absolute majority in the regional election in Scotland scheduled for May, it is expected that Sturgeon will further increase the pressure on London.

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