Support for SNP and another independence referendum slides

Most Scots do not want another referendum on independence to take place within the next five years, a poll has found.

The research by Yougov showed a drop in support for breaking away from the rest of UK, with this standing at 43 per cent – down from 44 per cent in October 2017 and below the 45 per cent achieved in the 2014 vote.

Just over a third (36 per cent) want a second vote in independence in the next five years, compared to 39 per cent in October – with the proportion opposed to this increasing from 52 per cent to 54 per cent over the period, according to the research.

The Yougov poll – for which 1,002 people were questioned between 12 and 16 January – also showed backing for the SNP falling, although First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s party remains easily the most popular in Scotland. The SNP would win 36 per cent of Scottish votes in a general election, according to the research, a drop of four percentage points from October.

Support for the party in the Holyrood constituency vote fell by the same amount to stand at 38 per cent, while backing in the list section was down three percentage points to 32 per cent.

Meanwhile, support for Labour in Scotland is falling at the same time as Jeremy Corbyn’s approval rating has turned negative.

The UK Labour leader has a personal approval rating of -3, compared to the +20 he scored three months ago.

And while 40 per cent of Scots think Mr Corbyn is doing a good job, 43 per cent described him as doing “badly”.

At the same time, the number of people who said they would vote Labour at either Holyrood or Westminster elections has fallen.

In a UK general election, the party would come second to the SNP in Scotland, with 28 per cent of those questioned saying they would support Labour – down from 30 per cent in October 2017.

And support dropped two points in both Holyrood votes, going from 25 per cent to 23 per cent in the constituency vote and from 24 per cent to 22 per cent on the regional list vote.

A Scottish Labour spokesman said: “It is clear that Scots are getting increasingly fed up of the SNP constitutional fixation and their failures in government.”

The SNP’S business convener, Derek Mackay MSP, said: “Only the SNP has stood up for Scotland’s interests after the Brexit vote in the face of a Tory government that thinks it can do what it wants to Scotland and get away with it – which is just one of the reasons why we have a 12-point lead after a decade in government.”