“I’m just somewhat surprised,” Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey told BBC television on Wednesday.

“Last week we saw that Scotland has a record deficit, the union bonus is about 2,000 pounds ($2,673) per person in Scotland. I really struggle to understand why this is the right time to be thinking about an independence referendum”, Reuters reported.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday pledged to publish draft legislation for a new independence referendum, including the question and timing of the vote, before the country’s parliamentary election next year.