Findlay dismisses poll forecasting Tories will be reduced to one MP in Scotland

A poll suggesting Reform could win five Scottish seats at the next general election, with the Tories reduced to a single MP north of the border, has been dismissed by Russell Findlay.

The Scottish Conservative leader said the next UK election is “years down the line”, adding the research is neither “credible” nor “relevant”.

The YouGov MRP study projected the SNP would secure 37 seats at Westminster at the next election, winning back many of the seats it lost in 2024 from Labour.

Last year’s general election saw the SNP go from 48 MPs to nine, while Labour won 37 seats.

YouGov predicted Labour could be left with nine Scottish MPs after the next general election.

Its research, based on responses from 1,182 people in Scotland, found the Liberal Democrats could hold five of the six Scottish seats they won last year if an election was held tomorrow, while Reform UK would pick up its first five seats in the country.

The Tories meanwhile would be reduced to one seat.

Looking across the UK, YouGov found Reform would be the largest party in a hung parliament, with Nigel Farage’s party forecast to win 311 seats.

Labour would win 144 seats, according to the research, while the Tories would have 45, putting them behind the Liberal Democrats on 78.

Mr Findlay told the PA news agency: “This is a poll about a UK election which is years down the line. I don’t think it’s credible and I don’t think it’s relevant.

“The only election that I’m interested in is the one next May, the Scottish Parliament election where the rotten SNP Government, which has run Scotland into the ground for the past 18 years, needs to be kicked out of power.”

Mr Findlay said it is “long beyond time” for the SNP to be “removed from office”, as he vowed: “I’ll be fighting hard to get every single Scottish Conservative vote that I can, and returning as many Scottish Conservative MSPs to Parliament as is possible.”