Drakeford blasts UK over
like economic growth and fixing Scotland’s ailing public services.”
Survation polled 1043 Scottish adults aged 16 and above between February 14 and 20.
Alan Roden, the co-chief executive of Quantum Communications and a former communications director with Scottish Labour, said: “This year’s General Election is not a foregone conclusion, but it appears to be a two-horse race when it comes to winning most seats.
“The SNP will be buoyed by the findings, with the party focused on appealing to voters in the northeast and defending Stephen Flynn’s Aberdeen seat.
“But Labour’s lead in parts of the central belt is significant, suggesting there won’t be a uniform swing across Scotland and many SNP seats in densely populated urban areas are vulnerable.”
Damian Lyons Lowe, chief executive of Survation, added: “Labour’s opinion polling success since the 2019 General Election means the SNP faces off against Labour in scores of now-marginal seats as their key challenger.
“While this poll shows a modest lead for the SNP over Labour, this is the largest SNP lead over Labour we have recorded since May 2023.
“Were these results to be replicated at a General Election, the SNP would remain the largest party in Scotland in terms of seats though Labour would see a number of gains in their former areas of strength.”
WELSH First Minister Mark Drakeford has criticised the UK Government for taking a “Big Brother” approach to international meetings held by devolved governments.
During his final international engagement in post in Brussels, Drakeford said UK Government officials should not have an automatic right to sit in on meetings held by Welsh ministers abroad.
At the end of last year, Foreign Secretary David Cameron sent a letter to Scottish External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson threatening to withdraw UK Government support from international engagement which Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said he “supports 100%”.
A row erupted after First Minister Humza Yousaf met with Turkey’s President Erdogan at COP28, without a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) official present.
As a result, Cameron threatened to withdraw support for several Scottish Government international development offices based in Foreign Office embassies.
He said the meeting breached devolution protocols as a UK official was not given “sufficient advance notice” of the location of the meeting to be able to attend.
James Cleverly has also said all meetings by Scottish or Welsh ministers must be organised though and attended by UK officials.
Speaking to Nation.Cymru, Drakeford said: “It’s very unfortunate that the UK Government has chosen to act in that way.
“There’s no evidence at all on the ground, as far as Wales is concerned, that we haven’t always acted entirely cooperatively with the Foreign Office