Nicola Sturgeon displaced as Scotland’s most popular politician by Labour’s Anas Sarwar – new poll
Nicola Sturgeon is displaced as Scotland’s most popular politician by Anas Sarwar as she is forced to defend ‘shameful’ decision to set aside £20m for another independence referendum
Nicola Sturgeon displaced by Anas Sarwar as Scotland’s most popular politicianFirst Minister now has a net satisfaction rating below that of her Labour rival Scottish independence poll reveals deadlock – 50% in favour and 50% opposedMs Sturgeon forced to defend setting aside £20m for another referendum
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Nicola Sturgeon has been displaced by Labour‘s Anas Sarwar as Scotland’s most popular politician, a new poll has revealed.
The First Minister now has a net satisfaction rating below that of her Labour rival, according to an Ipsos survey.
It was also found that support for Scottish independence is deadlocked, with 50 per cent in favour and 50 per cent opposed.
Ms Sturgeon was today forced to defend setting aside £20million of taxpayers’ cash, during the cost-of-living crisis, for another independence referendum.
The Ipsos poll revealed less than a third (32 per cent) of Scots agree with the SNP leader’s aim of holding a second independence vote by the end of next year.
Ms Sturgeon has been the dominant force in Scottish politics throughout her term in office, since 2014.
However, the Ipsos survey of 1,000 adults in Scotland revealed Mr Sarwar now holds a net satisfaction rating (+19) above that of Ms Sturgeon (+12).
The First Minister remained the party leader with the highest satisfaction rating, with 53 per cent saying they are satisfied with her performance.
But this has fallen from 58 per cent in November and 62 per cent in April last year.
Two-fifths (41 per cent) said they were dissatisfied with Ms Sturgeon.
Nicola Sturgeon has been displaced by Labour’s Anas Sarwar as Scotland’s most popular politician, according to the Ipsos poll
The First Minister was today forced to defend setting aside £20million of taxpayers’ cash, during the cost-of-living crisis, for another independence referendum
Labour’s Anas Sarwar now has a net satisfaction rating above that of the SNP’s Ms Sturgeon, according to the survey
For Mr Sarwar, 46 per cent were satisfied while 27 per cent were dissatisfied. However, 27% don’t know enough to rate him.
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, who has flip-flopped on whether Boris Johnson should resign as Prime Minister due to the Partygate scandal, was the least popular of Holyrood party leaders and the only one with a net negative rating.
The latest Ipsos poll found that support for Scottish independence had fallen five percentage points since a November 2021 survey.
Both Yes and No were supported by 50 per cent each in the latest survey, but less than a third (32 per cent) agreed a fresh referendum should be held by the end of 2023.
A third thought it should be later than this, with 18 per cent saying between 2024 and 2026, and 15 per cent saying later than 2026.
And around a third (31 per cent) said there should never be another referendum.
The proportion who saw Scottish independence or devolution as one of the most important issues facing Scotland today fell 10 percentage points since last November to 17 per cent.
More were concerned about inflation and the rising cost of living (30 per cent mentioned it as an important issue), healthcare and the NHS (27 per cent), education and schools (24 per cent), and the economy (22 per cent).
The poll revealed less than a third (32 per cent) of Scots agree with the SNP’s aim of holding a second independence vote by the end of next year
Support for Scottish independence has fallen five percentage points since a November 2021 survey
Around a third (31 per cent) said there should never be another Scottish independence referendum
The Ipsos poll found that Boris Johnson’s satisfaction ratings among Scottish voters has now fallen to its lowest score yet
At First Minister’s Questions today in the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon was challenged to justify her ‘shameful’ decision to earmark £20million for another independence vote.
Mr Ross accused Ms Sturgeon’s Scottish Government of finding ‘cash for another referendum, but cuts for Scotland’s public services’.
But the SNP leader claimed her administration was having to spend £700million a year ‘mitigating the impact of Westminster policies that Scotland did not vote for – the Bedroom Tax, the rape clause, the removal of Universal Credit’.
She added: ‘So yes – I think £20 million, or 0.05 per cent… of the entire government budget, to give the people of this country the opportunity to choose a better future, is and will be a really good investment.’
Speaking after FMQs, Mr Ross said: ‘Spending £20 million on a divisive referendum in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis is shameful.
‘Nicola Sturgeon’s eye is off the ball again. She’s obsessing about independence, when people across Scotland overwhelmingly want the focus to be on the issues that really matter to them.’
The Ipsos poll found that Mr Johnson’s satisfaction ratings among Scottish voters has now fallen to its lowest score yet, with just 12 per cent satisfied with the Prime Minister’s performance and 83 per cent dissatisfied.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saw 38 per cent satisfied with his performance, while 40 per cent are dissatisfied – although 22 per cent said they did not know enough to say.
