LONDON • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be championing his last-minute Brexit trade deal, but he faces a battle with Scotland in the coming months that could also decide the future direction of the United Kingdom.

Within an hour of Mr Johnson announcing that an agreement with the European Union had been reached last Thursday, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon quickly reasserted her demand for a second vote on splitting away from the three-centuries-old union with England and Wales.

"Before the spin starts, it's worth remembering that Brexit is happening against Scotland's will," she wrote on Twitter. "There is no deal that will ever make up for what Brexit takes away from us."

Scotland, which voted by 62 per cent to 38 per cent to remain in the EU in 2016, is scheduled to hold elections to its devolved legislature in Edinburgh in May.

Polls suggest Ms Sturgeon's pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) could win a majority that would reinforce her pledge to hold a referendum on leaving Britain in the early part of the new Parliament.

That would escalate the stand-off between London and Edinburgh, with Mr Johnson having refused to sanction a second vote.

Officials inside his Conservative Party have already sounded the alarm bell over Scotland and the need to counter the SNP.

The trade deal with the EU opens up "huge opportunities" for Scottish businesses, Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack said.

But that is unlikely to placate Scottish firms, which are already struggling under the burden of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Ms Sturgeon.

"Scotland did not vote for any of this and our position is clearer than ever," she said. "Scotland now has the right to choose its own future as an independent country and once more regain the benefits of EU membership."

BLOOMBERG