SNP and Labour even in Scotland, poll suggests

The SNP and Labour have drawn even in Scotland in Westminster voting, a poll suggests.

A survey by Ipsos for STV spoke to 1,150 people across the country between June 3 and 9 and found both parties level on 36%.

The SNP has dropped three points compared with the firm’s last poll in January, while Labour have increased their vote by 4%.

The Tories sit on 13% while the Lib Dems and Scottish Greens are on 5% and 3% respectively – with all three dropping a single point since January.

Reform UK have also increased their vote by one point to 4%, while Alba remain on 1%.

Every leader in Scotland received a negative net approval rating, with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar boasting the highest at -1% compared with -2% for First Minister John Swinney.

Scottish Conservatives’ Douglas Ross’s rating was -29% – although the question was asked before he announced his intention to stand down.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also proved intensely unpopular with respondents, with 79% reporting they were dissatisfied with his performance, achieving a net rating of -64%.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s rating was -12%.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Swinney said he was “encouraged” by the poll.

“This is a very different poll to the ones we’ve seen up until now which I think indicates the SNP is engaging strongly with the public.

“But we’ve got three more weeks to go, we’ve got a lot to set out to the public before polling day.

“We’ll be doing that because I want people in Scotland to understand that only by having SNP MPs in Westminster will they be protected from the austerity that the Labour Party is now proposing to deliver on the people of our country.”

Meanwhile, Scottish Tory chairman Craig Hoy said: “Voters know that in key seats across Scotland it’s a straight fight between the Scottish Conservatives and the SNP – and these battles will be extremely close.

“Stephen Flynn has said that every SNP MP elected will double down on their independence obsession, instead of focusing on the people’s priorities – fixing Scotland’s ailing public services and creating good jobs.

“The only way to stop this is to defeat the SNP – and that means voting Scottish Conservative in the seats where only we are capable of beating them.”

Elsewhere, support for independence among the respondents sat at 51% among decided voters, compared with 49% of those opposed.

The poll also suggested a soft vote that could lean heavily to Labour.

Some 55% of respondents said they had definitely decided where their vote would go, but of those who said they had not, 24% said they could move to Labour.

Of those who said they would vote SNP, 64% said they would definitely do so, compared with 55% for Labour and 43% for the Conservatives.

Emily Gray, the managing director of Ipsos in Scotland, said even small moves in vote share could make a “big difference” to the final result given the profile of marginal constituencies and parties have “a huge amount to play for in the remaining weeks of the campaign”.