Ever since the Acts of Union in 1707 brought the kingdoms of Scotland and England together as Great Britain, Scotland has borne a somewhat strained relationship with her more powerful neighbour to the south. In 2007, when the Scottish National Party (SNP) came to power in the Parliament of Scotland, voices increased their calls for independence from the rest of the United Kingdom. The recent general election in December 2019, when the SNP won 48 out of the 59 Scottish seats in the UK Parliament, has emboldened those pressing to leave.