She must quit if she broke code, poll finds

MORE than half of Scots believe Nicola Sturgeon should resign if she is found to have breached the ministerial code, according to a poll.

A new Opinium survey found high levels of support for Miss Sturgeon following her appearance at the Holyrood inquiry examining the Government’s botched probe into harassment complaints – with 8 per cent having a ‘favourable view’ of her. This compares to only 14 per cent who have a favourable view of Alex Salmond following his evidence session.

But 1 per cent said that if Miss Sturgeon is found to have breached the ministerial code she must resign. A report is set to be published within days detailing the First Minister’s involvement in the affair – and concluding whether or not she did breach the strict code governing ministers.

The inquiry, led by James Hamilton, QC, is examining if Miss Sturgeon misled parliament over her meetings with Mr Salmond, and when and how she found out about two harassment complaints against him.

It is also looking at the lack of reporting and note taking in relation to the meetings, and failings which led to the collapse of the judicial review. The poll, for Sky News, also found that the SNP will fail to get a majority at the Holyrood election in May – gaining only one more seat.

Chris Curtis, senior research manager at Opinium, said: ‘The polling shows the future of Scotland rests on a knife-edge. But it is also important to note Sturgeon’s incredible popularity in Scotland.’