SIR Keir Starmer has been urged to respect Scotland’s wish for an independence referendum, as new research has found disillusioned Tory voters rating the SNP as better opposition at Westminster.

The Labour leader yesterday said he wants more devolved powers for Holyrood “quickly” if he is Prime Minister.

He has tasked former prime minister Gordon Brown to look at making the “positive case” for the Union, claiming his government would “settle” the issue of Scotland’s place in the UK without a referendum.

However, the SNP warned previous pledges on powers made in the wake of the referendum in 2014 had failed to protect the interests of Scotland.

Last week Savanta ComRes published inaugural focus group research examining the reaction to Prime Minister’s Questions of a group who voted Conservative in 2019, but have now moved away from backing the party.

There was criticism of Boris Johnson over the partygate scandal, with one voter saying they were “ashamed” to have championed him in 2019.

But despite this, the research found the performance of the Prime Minister was rated more favourably than Starmer.

In a blog Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta ComRes, said: “Starmer, a lawyer by trade and usually so meticulous and investigative in his questioning, would surely have the PM on toast in the face of the allegations levelled against the guests, staff and residents of No 10 Downing Street?

“But that’s not how it played out and the overwhelming, albeit sometimes reluctant, admission from our focus group of swing Conservative voters was that the Prime Minister outperformed the leader of the opposition – and it wasn’t even close.”

The research also revealed some of the former Tory voters found SNP Westminster Ian Blackford a “more effective questioner and opposition” to the government during this session of PMQs than Starmer.

Hopkins added: “If that isn’t a wake-up call to Starmer apologists then I don’t know what is.”

One of the participants said: “[Ian Blackford’s] very passionate, a very eloquent speaker, and I think he was probably the most convincing of any opposition.”

Hopkins concluded: “In the end the results were unanimous, with even the most staunchly anti-Boris participant reluctantly conceding that the Prime Minister had ‘won’ PMQs over Keir Starmer. And while there are darker days for Johnson and his government ahead, if Starmer keeps failing to land punches, those voters who are saying they’d consider switching away from the Tories may be easier to win back if the PM can ride out the rest of this scandal.”

SNP’s Westminster depute leader Kirsten Oswald MP said: “The people of Scotland have already voted decisively for an independence referendum and Keir Starmer needs to respect that. 

“Just like Labour’s promises in 2014, Keir Starmer’s vague and undefined plans wouldn’t have prevented Scotland from being dragged out of the EU against our will, or prevent a Tory power grab on Holyrood.

“Only independence can fully protect our national interests.”