London ( CNN ) -- More than 700 years after William Wallace died fighting for Scottish independence , and more than 300 years after Scotland and England came together in a United Kingdom , a new agreement could lead to an independent Scotland . British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Scottish counterpart , First Minister Alex Salmond , signed a deal in Edinburgh , Scotland , on Monday paving the way for Scots to vote on independence from the United Kingdom , Cameron 's office announced on Twitter . The referendum , expected to be held in 2014 , would allow Scots a straight yes-or-no vote on staying in the union . The `` Yes Scotland '' campaign launched in May , trying to `` build a groundswell of support for an independent Scotland , '' with the backing of several famous Scots , most notably actor Sean Connery . Salmond and his Scottish National Party ( SNP ) , which holds power in the Scottish parliament , have pushed for the vote . A survey released last week by TNS-BMRB showed that only 28 % of Scots favor leaving the United Kingdom . That 's somewhat in line with an Ipsos MORI poll of 1,002 Scots , taken in late August , that showed sharp political differences within Scotland . That survey showed that more than 60 % of SNP supporters desire full independence . However , only about a third of all the Scots polled wanted to break away from the United Kingdom . Some detractors have expressed concern about Scotland 's economic viability as an independent state . But oil from the North Sea , off the Scottish coast , has enriched the United Kingdom for decades . And the SNP , on its website , says independence `` could create an environment where our existing and new private industries can grow more easily , '' and the party touts a country that retains the British pound , while its future European Union membership creates the benefits of `` open borders , shared rights , free trade and extensive cooperation . '' Cameron has vocally opposed Scottish independence . In February , he said he was `` 100 % clear that I will fight with everything I have to keep our United Kingdom together , '' since an intact United Kingdom , consisting of England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland , `` is stronger , safer , richer and fairer . '' In medieval times , Scotland fought for freedom from England , which Mel Gibson dramatically depicted in his Academy Award-winning movie `` Braveheart . '' Not long after Wallace died in the early 1300s , Robert the Bruce led Scotland to independence , and it remained an autonomous nation until the Act of Union joined Scotland and England in 1707 . The United Kingdom returned some autonomy to Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland , and gave them the right to form their own parliaments , in the late 1990s . CNN 's Saskya Vandoorne , Matthew Chance and Dave Gilbert contributed to this report .
Brits , Scots agree to hold referendum on Scottish independence . The up-or-down vote will probably happen in 2014 . British PM David Cameron and most Scots polled are against an autonomous Scotland .