Fresh blow for SNP as new ballot finds them SEVEN POINTS behind Labour
The beleaguered SNP have suffered a fresh blow after a new opinion poll put them seven points behind Labour in Scotland ahead of the general election.
A new Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey of Westminster voting intention among Scots found Labour on 38 per cent support – a five point rise since last month.
This compared to the SNP on 31 per cent, down one point, the Conservatives on 14 per cent, down three points, and the Liberal Democrats on 8 per cent.
The Scottish Greens, who were kicked out of power-sharing at Holyrood last month by the SNP, were up two points to 4 per cent.
The seven-point lead for Labour – when Scottish voters were asked who they would back if a UK general election were held tomorrow – is the largest lead recorded by any polling company for Labour in Scotland since June 2014.
It will serve as a huge boost to Sir Keir Starmer as he looks to end 14 years of Conservative rule at Westminster and become prime minister.
The SNP were plunged into fresh turmoil when Humza Yousaf ended the party’s Bute House power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens, before then announcing his resignation.
But John Swinney, Mr Yousaf’s replacement as SNP leader and Scottish First Minister, has tried to put a brave face on the party’s travails.
He today desperately claimed he could make Scotland independent within five years.
The First Minister claimed the arguments for breaking up the UK are ‘compelling’, despite acknowledging the chaos that has been wracking the SNP.
A new Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey of Westminster voting intention among Scots found Labour on 38 per cent support – a five point rise since last month
The poll put the SNP on 31 per cent, down one point from last month, the Conservatives on 14 per cent, down three points, and the Liberal Democrats on 8 per cent
In a series of interviews, Mr Swinney also played down concerns about Kate Forbes – a devout Christian who previously opposed gay marriage – becoming his deputy.
He stressed that the party will still be ‘on the side’ of LGBT voters.
His comments came as a separate Savanta survey found Labour ahead of the SNP on Westminster voting intention – the first time the firm has given Sir Keir’s party the advantage.
Labour was up two points since October on 37 per cent support, with the SNP down two on 33 per cent. The Tories were on 17 per cent.
If replicated at an election, the results suggest Sir Keir could get dozens of MPs north of the border.
Speaking from Bute House, Mr Swinney told BBC News his party had been through a ‘difficult period’ but that he was determined to give the government ‘very clear leadership’.
He said on Sky News that he still believed independence could happen in the next five years ‘because the arguments for it are compelling’.
The cost-of-living crisis and Brexit were doing ‘severe economic and social damage’ to Scotland, he added.
However, Mr Swinney admitted the SNP has work to do to build greater support for independence.
He said that would be a focus for his leadership, despite pleas to concentrate on improving the economy and public service.
Mr Swinney denied that the appointment of Ms Forbes as his deputy would make the Scottish Government less progressive.
‘The protection of the rights of LGBT individuals in our society is absolutely fundamental to my government – the protection of those rights and the enhancement of those rights,’ he said.
Desperate Jon Swinney (pictured chairing his first Cabinet today with deputy Kate Forbes) insisted he can make Scotland independent within five years
A Savanta survey put Labour ahead of the SNP on Westminster voting intention – the first time the firm has given Keir Starmer’s party the advantage
Former First Minister Alex Salmond – now leader of the Alba Party – complained that the SNP’s ‘incompetence’ has ‘hindered’ the cause of Scottish independence
Mr Swinney said he had not discussed abandoning the Gender Recognition Reform Bill with Ms Forbes before installing her to the job, adding that the ‘reality of the situation’ was that the courts had ruled the legislation was unable to proceed.
Meanwhile, former First Minister Alex Salmond – now leader of the Alba Party – complained that the SNP’s ‘incompetence’ has ‘hindered’ the cause of Scottish independence.
Mr Salmond also said in an interview that there is no ‘immediate’ way for another independence referendum to be held, as he criticised successor Nicola Sturgeon for her ‘ill-fated, kamikaze’ Supreme Court case on whether the Scottish Government had the right to hold a vote without Westminster approval.
