SNP in 11 point lead over Labour for Holyrood election after Keir Starmer's popularity nosedives
The SNP are eleven points ahead of Scottish Labour for Holyrood as Keir Starmer's popularity continues to plummet.
The Labour Prime Minister's net approval rating stands at minus 42 after a difficult first year in office.
An opinion poll for Ipsos, in partnership with STV News, focused on voting intentions for Westminster and Holyrood.
Despite Labour crushing the SNP at the general election last year, the headline findings of the poll show Anas Sarwar's party is now in second place for the Commons.
The poll put the SNP on 31%, Labour on 22%, Reform UK on 16% and the Tories and Greens on 10% each.
Nine months ahead of the next Holyrood election, the poll placed the SNP at 34% in the Holyrood constituencies, eleven points ahead of Labour on 23%, with Reform UK in third on 14% and the Tories fourth on 10%.
The Lib Dems and the Greens polled 9% in the constituencies.
However, the SNP lead over Labour on the regional lists was only 4 points, with John Swinney's party on 26%.
Reform UK polled 16% while the Greens came a strong fourth on 15%. Tory support fell to 10%.
According to Ipsos, Starmer's approval ratings have fallen 'markedly' compared with a year ago:
'While 22% of the Scottish public are satisfied with the way he is doing his job, 64% are dissatisfied, giving a 'net' satisfaction rating of -42.'
Emily Gray, Managing Director of Ipsos in Scotland, commented:
These new results show how dramatically Scotland's political landscape has shifted compared with a year ago. Labour's support in Scotland has declined considerably since the General Election, and on this evidence Reform UK and the SNP are both benefiting from voters switching allegiance from Labour.
'A key question for Labour is whether it will be able to win voter support back ahead of next May's Holyrood elections. While the SNP will be pleased that the results show them leading on both Holyrood and Westminster voting intentions, there are also warning signs for the party. Their vote share still lags behind what the party achieved at the last Holyrood elections in 2021, and John Swinney's approval ratings are lower than they were a year ago.'
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