Shameless! ‘Postal vote’ website takes you straight to... the SNP

SNP chiefs have been accused of a ‘shameless’ attempt to try and dupe voters in a row over a website domain.

It yesterday emerged that the internet domain postalvote.scot redirects users to the Nationalist party website.

It states that postal voting is the ‘safest way to vote’ in the upcoming Holyrood election which is set to take place in May.

The webpage says: ‘Apply now and you’ll be able to vote in a way which reduces your risk from the virus.’

And it encourages people to enter their details and apply for a postal vote.

The move sparked a row yesterday – with the Scottish Conservatives accusing the SNP of attempting to ‘turn Scotland into a one party state’.

Chief whip Miles Briggs said: ‘They are blatantly trying to blur the lines between party and official election resources. Those at the top of the SNP have questions to answer about this shady approach.

‘It has more of a whiff of murkiness about it. It’s a shameless attempt to try and dupe voters. The nationalists should explain why they think this misdirection is acceptable.’

Electoral officials believe more than two million people in Scotland could use postal votes at the Scottish parliament elections – to avoid using polling stations during the pandemic. The election is due to take place on May 6, with Holyrood to dissolve for the campaign on March 25.

Despite continued high levels of the virus, councils and electoral bodies believe the elections could take place safely – as the country suppresses the prevalence of Covid19. Recent polling by the Electoral Commission found up to 68 per cent of Scotland’s four million voters could vote by post.

An SNP spokesman said: ‘Two million people may vote by post in May, so we’ve made applying as simple as possible. Amidst the pandemic, postal voting is safest.’

Meanwhile, soaring numbers of Scots believe the SNP is divided following a series of public rows – with support for independence dropping.

A new poll found less than half of voters now think the Nationalist party is ‘united’ in a major blow for Nicola Sturgeon just months before the Holyrood election.

The survey, carried out by Savanta ComRes, found a drop of eight points in the number of Scots who think the SNP is unified – from 50 per cent in January to only 42 per cent.