Poll: Resurgence for Scottish Labour but SNP remains in lead

Labour could be on track to take back second place at Holyrood, according to a new poll for Ballot Box Scotland.

The poll also put the party ahead of the Conservatives in Scotland for a UK election.

But the SNP remain comfortably in the lead at both Holyrood and Westminster level, though support for the party has dropped.

The poll, conducted by Survation at the end of March, also found Scotland would vote No to independence, with the Unionist side taking 47 per cent of the vote to the Yes side’s 42 per cent.

According to the poll, 34 per cent of respondents would back the SNP on the list and 46 per cent for the constituency vote.

In the election last year, the SNP received 34 per cent of list votes and 48 per cent of constituency votes.

Meanwhile, the poll put Labour on 23 per cent for list votes and 25 per cent for the constituency vote, up from 18 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively, from the 2021 result.

Conservative support has dropped, down to 19 per cent in the regional vote (from 23 per cent last year) and 20 per cent in constituencies (from 22 per cent).

Allan Faulds, Ballot Box Scotland founder, said: “This poll will put a spring in Anas Sarwar’s step, showing Labour at their strongest in years and well positioned to displace the Conservatives as Scotland’s second largest party. Though Douglas Ross may have hoped the worst of the lockdown parties fallout had passed, his party’s support is yet to fully recover.

“However the SNP remain the party to beat, with a clear overall lead. Combined with projected growth for the Greens, who continue to poll at record levels, the current co-operative government would easily be re-elected at Holyrood.”

The polling expert projects these results would lead to the SNP with 62 seats (-2), Labour 26 (+4), Conservatives 23 (-8), Greens 10 (+2) and Lib Dems 8 (+4).

Westminster voting intention put the SNP on 45 per cent, Labour on 27 per cent, the Conservatives on 19 per cent and the Lib Dems on 6 per cent.