Poll puts support for SNP at 42% as Labour moves to second place

An opinion poll has put support for the SNP in Westminster elections at 42%, with Scottish Labour rising ahead of the Conservatives to second place.

The Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times put Anas Sarwar’s party on 24% and Douglas Ross’s party down to 21% when undecideds were removed.

The Liberal Democrats were on 7% and other parties on 5%.

Panelbase surveyed 1,009 voters at the end of April.

Respondents were asked how they felt about several issues since the SNP came to power in 2007.

On education, 46% felt standards had deteriorated since then, while 24% said things had improved.

On health, 56% said standards had slipped and 23% said they had improved.

Nicola Sturgeon responded to the poll while she was campaigning on Portobello Promenade ahead of local elections in Edinburgh.

She told the PA news agency: “I’ll campaign for as many SNP votes as possible.

“What I do think is telling about that poll is that 15 years into the SNP’s period in government we’re still the dominant party.

“And Labour and the Conservatives, actually by their own admission, are scrapping it out for second place.

“I’m quite happy to leave them doing that and I’ll continue to argue the case for SNP votes in every part of the country.”

Discussing the poll’s findings on health and education, she said the pandemic had significantly impacted these areas of government.

The First Minister said: “We’re focused on catching up with that and supporting young people to get back on track with education.”

Elections expert Sir John Curtice said the poll suggested the Conservatives faced a “serious challenge” from Labour to their position as Scotland’s second-largest party.

The Strathclyde University professor told the Sunday Times: “Such an outcome would only exacerbate the political fragmentation and division on the pro-Union side of Scotland’s constitutional debate.”

He said it was “far from certain that the SNP will be able to improve significantly on what proved to be no more than a modest performance in 2017, and thereby add further impetus to its attempt to hold another independence referendum”.