.png)
7 months ago
57
The SNP have been dealt a fresh blow after a new poll revealed they have been overtaken by Labour for the first time since the 2014 independence referendum.
In the latest YouGov survey, Labour won the support of one-third (33 per cent) of Scottish voters when they were asked who they would back at a general election.
This put Sir Keir Starmer's party a two-point lead over the SNP, who were backed by 31 per cent of Scottish voters when it came to a Westminster election.
The two parties were ahead of the Tories (14 per cent), Liberal Democrats (7 per cent), Reform UK (7 per cent) and Greens (5 per cent).
The poll will be seen as a major milestone in Labour ranks as Sir Keir continues his bid to become PM, with winning back Scottish seats seen as a key part of the party's path to power.
YouGov's previous poll in October had the SNP a single point ahead of Labour (33 per cent to 32 per cent).
In the latest YouGov survey, Labour won the support of one-third (33 per cent) of Scottish voters when they were asked who they would back at a general election
The YouGov poll revealed the SNP have been overtaken by Labour for the first time since the 2014 independence referendum
When asked if they would support Scottish independence, 53 per cent of voters said 'No' compared to 47 per cent who would said 'Yes'
The pollster's latest survey found a fifth of the SNP's voters from the 2019 general election had now been lost to Labour.
Humza Yousaf's party were shown to have only retained the support of two-thirds (66 per cent) of voters who backed them previously.
There was grim news for the Tories after their vote share in Scotland was found to have dropped six points since October.
YouGov found, as with polling of the wider country, the Tory decline 'is in part due to the growth in Reform UK’s appeal'.
The Nigel Farage-backed outfit increased their vtoe share by five points from October, from 2 per cent to 7 per cent.
The Conservatives were shown to have retained little more than half (54 per cent) of Scottish voters who backed them in 2019, with 19 per cent switching to Labour and 22 per cent to Reform.
When asked if they would support Scottish independence, 53 per cent of voters said 'No' compared to 47 per cent who would said 'Yes'.
This was the same split as the last time YouGov polled the issue in September last year.
A recent YouGov MRP study showed Labour were on course to win 28 Scottish seats at the general election compared to the SNP's 19
Mr Yousaf has seen a continuing collapse in the SNP's polling ratings since he succeeded Nicola Sturgeon as party leader and First Minister a year ago.
The latest polling blow comes after a recent YouGov mega-poll of nearly 19,000 voters showed Labour were on course to overtake the SNP as Scotland's largest party in terms of seats in the House of Commons.
The MRP study, based on detailed seat-by-seat polling and published last week, found Sir Keir was set to win 28 Scottish seats at the general election compared to the SNP's 19, while the Tories and Lib Dems would win five each.
English (US)