Sturgeon is set for Holyrood landslide
THE SNP is on course for a Holyrood majority at the next election and Nicola Sturgeon’s coronavirus response is attracting Tory and Labour supporters, a poll has found.
The First Minister has impressed “significant chunks” of voters who backed the Scottish Conservatives or Scottish Labour at the last general election, according to the Savanta ComRes poll.
The survey of 1016 over-16s between January 8 and 13 found 37 per cent of Labour’s 2019 voters were more likely to back the SNP, along with 13 per cent of Scottish Conservative supporters.
But of the SNP voters who backed the party in the 2019 election, 14 per cent now say they are more likely to vote Labour in May, and eight per cent are more likely to vote Conservative.
Overall, 59 per cent of Scots have a more positive view of Sturgeon now than before the pandemic, including 46 per cent of Labour voters and 36 per cent of Tory supporters.
Asked about their voting intentions for the upcoming Holyrood election, the findings show the SNP would have the support of 53 per cent of constituency votes and 44 per cent of list votes.
That compares with 19 per cent and 16 per cent respectively for the Tories, and 18 per cent for Labour in both votes.
If replicated in May, it would give the SNP a 13-seat majority.
Support for the Scottish Conservatives has fallen to the lowest level for almost five years, the poll suggests.
The Scottish Lib Dems’ support in the constituency vote remained consistent at six per cent and eight per cent for the list vote.
The Scottish Greens’ backing on the list has fallen slightly, down from 12 per cent to 11 since the last Savanta ComRes poll in December.