THE SNP will win a majority in Holyrood, with the Greens also set for a historic election breakthrough, according to a new poll.
The YouGov research for the Times forecasts a four-seat majority for Nicola Sturgeon’s party.
The pro-independence Greens, meanwhile, are on track to more than double their return, with 13 MSPs. That would put them just four seats behind Labour, who are predicted to lose out to the Tories in the battle for second place.
Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice used the survey results to draw up seat predictions for Thursday's vote.
According to his analysis, the SNP would win 68 seats, while Conservatives win 26, five fewer than in 2016.
Labour would win 17, down seven, the LibDems four, down one, and Alex Salmond’s Alba Party would return one MSP.
POLL: What would be the Yes movement's best outcome on May 6?
That outcome would mean an 82-seat pro-independence supermajority in Holyrood, supercharging the campaign for a Yes vote.
YouGov found support for the SNP in constituencies has risen to 52% (+3) since the firm’s last poll in mid-April. The Tories have dropped one point to 20%, Labour are on 19% (-2), while the LibDems are on 6% (=).
On the regional list, the SNP dropped a point to 38%, the Tories remained on 22%, Labour dropped to 16%(-5), the Greens increased by three points to 13% and the LibDems stayed on 5%. Alba increased by one point to 3%, which Curtice said would be enough to return a single MSP.
READ MORE: Scottish election poll: SNP on track for a majority government
It is the second poll in 24 hours to put the SNP on track for a majority, after Opinium published new research.
The polling firm put the SNP’s constituency support at 51% and regional support at 41%, pointing towards 67 seats in total.
Opinium’s research picked up a two-point increase in support for the Tories on the regional vote and no change for Labour on 17%.
It is one of the most optimistic polls in terms of the projected Tory losses, suggesting the party will only be down two seats on its 2016 result with 29 MSPs. Meanwhile Labour would be on 20 MSPs, a decrease of three.
The pollsters are also less optimistic about Scottish Green support compared to other surveys, predicting they will return eight MSPs – up three on their current number.
Alex Salmond’s Alba Party was not predicted to return any MSPs with 3%, while the LibDems would see no change with five seats.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel