Support has risen to 50 percent, according to a new poll.

The Panelbase survey for The Sunday Times Scotland also found more responses than not believe the Scottish economy would be better off with independence in the EU than in the UK after Brexit.

The 50 per cent figure supporting independence represents a five per cent increase on the 45 per cent base recorded on average in its polls last year, reflecting a 45 per cent “Yes” 55 per cent no result from the 2014 independence referendum.

It’s up 49 percent since the newspaper’s last poll in June, and is a record high for its regular Panelbase polls on the issue.

Given a choice between a no-deal Brexit and an independent Scotland, there was a 54-46 lead for independence, up two points since April.

The survey of 1,003 voters in Scotland, conducted between Wednesday and Friday, found that 45 percent of people believe Scotland would be better off economically as an independent country within the EU than staying in the UK after Brexit.

Just over a third (35 percent) disagreed, while one in five (20 percent) said they did not know.

The findings were unveiled on the morning of the autumn conference in Aberdeen, where the party’s leader at Westminster is expected to tell delegates Scottish independence will be the focus of any upcoming General election campaign.

He will say that retaining the party’s majority of Scottish seats at Westminster would reaffirm the mandate for another referendum on Scottish independence.

The poll shows big gains for the SNP at the next General election, with the party on 39 per cent, up one percentage point since June.

The conservatives are also forecast to get on 21 per cent, up three percentage points from June, while labour is on 19 per cent, up two.

The liberal Democrats were unchanged at 13 per cent and the greens at 2 per cent, while the Brexit party was at 5 per cent, up four percentage points from June.

Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, told the paper the Conservatives face losing more than half of their Scottish seats.

He calculates the SNP will win 48 seats – up from 35 at the 2017 general election-with the Scottish Tories falling from 13 to five, Labour from seven to one, and the Lib Dems rising from four to five.

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