SNP voters abandon the party after fraud probe arrest of Nicola Sturgeon as new poll suggests independence-backing party will win fewer seats than Labour at the next general election
SNP voters are abandoning the party following the arrest of Nicola Sturgeon in a fraud probe, according to a new poll that makes Labour the largest party in Scotland.
A Panelbase survey for the Sunday Times projects that Scottish Labour would win 26 seats at Westminster, up from one currently.
This would put the party ahead of the SNP, which is predicted to take 21, down from 45 currently.
It would be the first time since 2010 that Sir Keri Starmer’s party was the largest Scottish group at Westminster and would be a major boost to his hoes of taking power in Westminster.
The poll was carried out after Ms Sturgeon was held for seven hours last Sunday by detectives investigation the whereabouts of more than £600,000 in donation.
She was later released without charge pending further investigation, and denies any wrongdoing.
The research also found that support for the SNP has dropped, with 34 per cent saying they would vote for the party at the next general election, down five points compared with Panelbase’s last poll in March.
A Panelbase survey for the Sunday Times projects that Scottish Labour would win 26 seats at Westminster, up from one currently.
The poll was carried out after Ms Sturgeon was held for seven hours last Sunday by detectives investigation the whereabouts of more than £600,000 in donation.
This puts it on a level with Labour, up three points over the same period, while the Conservatives would take 18 per cent and the Liberal Democrats and Others 7 per cent each, the poll suggests.
Meanwhile Ms Sturgeon has seen her popularity fall by 38 points since research in February to minus 18.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has a rating of minus 12, while Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar scored minus 2 and Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross minus 34.
The poll also found that 44% of those questioned said Scotland should be an independent country, half said it should not, and the remainder did not know.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: ‘The polls are clear – Labour has ended the SNP’s stranglehold on Scottish politics and is fighting to win seats across the country.
‘The people of Scotland know that only Labour can kick the Tories out and deliver the change we need – all the SNP offer is more chaos and sleaze.
‘The road to a Labour government runs through Scotland, and the next Labour government will deliver for the people of Scotland.
‘From tackling the cost-of-living crisis to generating thousands of green jobs, Scottish Labour is the change Scotland needs.’
– Panelbase interviewed 1,007 people aged 16 and over in Scotland between June 12 and 15.
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