THE Scottish Tories would lose half their Westminster seats at a general election as voters withdraw their support for the party amid claims of sleaze, according to a poll published today.

The latest Panelbase survey for The Sunday Times puts backing for the SNP at Westminster at 48% (up one point since September) while support for the Conservatives has slipped two points to 21%, Labour is up one at 20% and the Lib Dems are unchanged on 7%. 

Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, forecasts the SNP’s tally of MPs would rise from 48 to 53. The Tories would lose half their existing six seats, Labour would be stuck on one and the Lib Dems would fall from four to two.

READ MORE: Senior Scots Tories face losing seats in General Election, poll suggests

The poll also found that support for the SNP and independence is holding up, with the party tipped to gain seats at the next UK general election though it also found that less than a quarter of voters now expect Scotland to become independent in the next five years.

Support for independence has edged up one point to 49% with opposition at 51 per cent (-1). However, less than a quarter (23%) now believe independence is likely within the next five years — a fall of three points.

The results come after the UK government firmly rejected calls for it to support a second independence referendum, seven years after the last vote on the issue.

While the Scottish Government has not ruled out seeking to hold another referendum without UK support, there are concerns it a Holyrood bill to hold a vote may not be regarded as legally competent by the Supreme Court, should a legal challenge be launched to it by the Conservative Government.

READ MORE: Scottish Tories rage at Boris Johnson's 'self-inflicted' sleaze scandals

The poll of 1,781 voters in Scotland between November 9 and 12 came as the SNP prepares for its November conference and amid weeks of headlines over Tory sleaze and cronyism which Scottish Tories fear will damage the party north of the Border. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to tell the world's press that the UK "was not corrupt" when he faced the media at COP26 in Glasgow on Thursday.

Yesterday the SNP claimed the Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross MP was “knee-deep in the Tory sleaze scandal”. The claim came as Ross referred himself to the Commons standards commissioner for failing to declare thousands of pounds in outside earnings.

According to a report in The Herald, the MP failed to declare £28,218.57 in outside earnings from his second job as an MSP and third job as a football referee. The undeclared income included £6,728.57 from 16 football matches in 2021 and 2020, and £21,490 in a top-up salary from his role as an MSP.

While his outside earnings were well known, the SNP said that, since being elected, Ross has missed multiple votes, events and parliamentary meetings at Westminster and Holyrood to earn money from running the line on a football pitch.

Ross told the newspaper: “Since realising my mistake last week, I contacted the Office of the Register of Interests and made them aware of the situation. All payments have now been declared, including those from my MSP salary that are donated to charities.”

Many experts believe the next general election may be held in 2023 or 2024.