Support for Independence has grown slightly following a summer in which Bermuda's relationship with the UK has been thrown into the spotlight.

However, 66 percent of people remain opposed to splitting from Britain in The Royal Gazette's poll, carried out by Research.bm from October 7 to 13, with 24 percent in favour and ten percent not sure.

In the previous poll in late June, 72 percent of people opposed Independence, with 19 percent in favour.

Opposition remains strongest among the younger generation, with 73 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds against. Ninety-six percent of whites are against, with one percent of whites in favour; 49 percent of blacks are against, with 13 percent of blacks in favour.

Premier Ewart Brown infuriated the UK earlier this year by failing to get its permission before bringing four former Guantánamo Bay prisoners to the Island.

Dr. Brown has frequently stated his desire for Independence, and many have interpreted his Uighurs move as an attempt to deliberately annoy the UK to make a split more likely in the future.

Governor Sir Richard Gozney and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office both reacted in June by saying Dr. Brown had no authority to bring the men to Bermuda, as the matter involved external affairs and was outside the remit of the Bermuda Government.

Since then, a string of UK politicians have spoken out about Dr. Brown's move, with Foreign Office Minister Chris Bryant meeting with Dr. Brown in England three weeks ago to express "our anger and profound disappointment" at the way the Bermuda Government had acted.

The telephone poll of 400 people has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.