Double trouble for Sturgeon
She’s the least popular party leader ... as independence support falls
NICOLA Sturgeon has become Scotland’s most unpopular leader after suffering an anti-independence backlash as support for her bid to break up Britain plummeted.
The First Minister has the lowest popularity score of Holyrood’s five party leaders as her ratings have nosedived since she renewed her campaign for another independence referendum.
A poll published yesterday showed support for the SNP is on the slide, leaving several senior Nationalist MPs facing defeat in next week’s election, and that most Scots oppose holding another separation vote before Brexit and would vote No if there was one.
It also exposed growing concern about the SNP’s stewardship of key public services such as health and education.
Opponents said that ‘the tide is turning’ against Miss Sturgeon.
The poll, published a week before Scots vote in the snap General Election, indicates the SNP is set to lose up to six of the 56 seats it won in 2015.
It reveals a big swing in public opinion against Miss Sturgeon since she announced in March that she would demand a second independence referendum.
Half of all respondents said they were dissatisfied with her performance as First Minister, compared with 46 per cent who
‘Manifesto torn to shreds’
were satisfied – giving a ‘satisfaction rating’ of -4.
That was lower than every other Scottish leader, with the Conservatives’ Ruth Davidson on +5, Labour’s Kezia Dugdale on -2, Lib Dem Willie Rennie on +6, and the Greens’ Patrick Harvie on +12.
Miss Sturgeon’s satisfaction rating is 18 points lower than her score the last time the question was asked last September.
It also means she has slid from being the most popular Holyrood leader last April to the least popular now.
James Kelly, Scottish Labour’s campaign manager, said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon’s campaign has descended into utter chaos.
‘Her manifesto has been torn to shreds by experts and, with her personal popularity ratings in freefall, it’s clear the tide is turning against Nicola Sturgeon.’
The poll, published by Ipsos MORI, shows support for independence has also fallen since Miss Sturgeon demanded another referendum and Theresa May rejected her request.
It found 53 per cent of Scots would vote No if there was a referendum, while 47 per cent would vote Yes – down three percentage points on Ipsos MORI’s previous poll in March, when there was a 50-50 split.
It also showed that most Scots oppose Miss Sturgeon’s original demand for a referendum to be held between the autumn of 2018 and the spring of 2019.
Asked if there should be a vote in the next two years regardless of the election result, 57 per cent said no while 38 per cent said yes.
Even if the SNP matched or improved on its 2015 result – when it won 50 per cent of the votes and 56 of the 59 Scottish seats – 51 per cent would still oppose a referendum within two years, while 42 per cent would support one.
Of those certain to vote next week, 43 per cent intend to vote SNP – compared with 50 per cent in the 2015 general election. The Conservatives and Labour would both secure 25 per cent of the vote, according to the poll, while the Liberal Democrats would be backed by five per cent of voters. The Electoral Calculus predictions website said that could mean the Tories taking six seats from the SNP – including deputy leader Angus Robertson’s Moray seat and Pete Wishart’s Perth and North Perthshire constituency.
But the ScotlandVotes site estimates the result would mean Mr Robertson and Mr Wishart would survive, with the SNP winning 51 seats, the Tories four, Labour two and the Lib Dems two.
Scottish Tory deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said: ‘Labour can’t be trusted to stand up against the SNP. Only Ruth Davidson and the Scottish Conservatives have what it takes to fight back against the Nationalists’ obsession with a second referendum. It’s clear people are beginning to see through Nicola Sturgeon.’
The poll also revealed a slump in the SNP’s ratings for key devolved areas, amid concern about the crisis in the NHS and the sliding performance in schools.
Asked which party had the best policies on health and the NHS, 34
‘Labour can’t be trusted’
per cent said the SNP – down from 48 per cent in 2015 – while 34 per cent said the SNP had the best education policies – down 15 percentage points on two years ago.
SNP election campaign manager, Derek Mackay, said: ‘This poll shows only a vote for the SNP can keep the Tories out. Now, more than ever, it is vital to have strong SNP voices standing up for Scotland at Westminster.’
Polling firm YouGov came under fire last night over its shock poll predicting the Tories are on course to lose the election.
The survey predicted Theresa May’s party would lose 20 seats, wiping out her Commons majority. But Mrs May dismissed the findings, which are out of step with every other election poll.