Public trust in SNP government in Scotland falls to record low

Public trust in the SNP government has fallen to a record low, according to an official report for ministers that showed tumbling satisfaction with Scotland’s struggling NHS.

The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey found that only 47 per cent of people trusted the SNP government to work in the country’s best interest most of the time – down from 61 per cent in 2019.

The number of Scots satisfied with the NHS has also collapsed, with only 23 per cent happy with the service and 52 per cent dissatisfied.

This represents a dramatic fall from 2019, when 64 per cent of Scots said they were happy with how the health service was run. It is also the first year since 2005 where more people were dissatisfied than satisfied.

More than two-thirds of Scots (69 per cent) said they thought the NHS’s standards had fallen over the previous year, a big increase from 45 per cent in 2019.

Public Health Scotland found there were more than 690,000 waits for NHS appointments or treatment for non-urgent care as of March 31.

Of the total, 534,178 were for outpatient treatment, up by 10 per cent from the same point last year, and more than double the size of the list before the pandemic.

The report was published after the SNP was routed in this month’s general election, with the Nationalists winning only nine seats, down from 48 in the 2019 contest.

Tess White, the Scottish Tories’ deputy health spokesman, said: “This is a damning verdict from Scots on 17 years of SNP failure.

“They are sick and tired of this SNP Government having their eye off the ball and focusing on their independence obsession, rather than tackling Scotland’s real priorities. That is abundantly clear on their opinion of the state of Scotland’s NHS.”

Scottish Labour also pointed to the report’s finding that only 21 per cent of people trusted the previous UK Tory government to act in Scotland’s interest. This had increased from 15 per cent in 2019 but remained low.

‘Damning indictment’

Dame Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, said: “This is an utterly damning indictment of the Tories and the SNP’s record in government.

“People across Scotland have been failed by two dysfunctional governments – a Tory government that caused economic turmoil and an SNP government that has led our NHS to breaking point.”

She said it was “clear” the SNP must be ousted from power in the 2026 Holyrood election, after the Conservatives lost this month’s Westminster contest.