QUESTIONS have been raised about public confidence in Keir Starmer’s Labour after a poll suggested half of Scots think the party will lose the next General Election to the Tories.
The survey conducted by Redfield and Wilton Strategies (R&WS) suggested that just nine per cent of adults in Scotland think Labour can win a majority at the next election.
While the Scottish subsample was small, this is much lower than across the UK, where 24% of respondents think Labour will return a majority at the next General Election.
Across the UK, 10% of people said they thought Labour could form a minority government after the next vote, compared to just 7% of Scots.
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In total, 39% of people across the UK think the next Westminster election will result in another Tory government, while 34% think Labour’s leader will enter No 10.
This is much closer than for Scots. A total of 50% of voters north of the Border think the Tories will retain control of Downing Street, while just 16% think Labour will be able to form a government.
An SNP source told The National that the figures were “damning” for Starmer.
They said: “So much for the alleged Labour resurgence.
“The people of Scotland clearly don't believe Keir Starmer is Prime Minister material - and that's absolutely damning when the alternative is Boris Johnson."
Elsewhere, the poll had better news for Starmer’s Labour. It found that 39% of people in the UK would vote for the party at the next General Election if it were tomorrow. This is higher than the 34% who believe Labour will win.
While Boris Johnson and Starmer both have negative net approval ratings, Johnson’s (-31%) is significantly lower than the leader of the opposition’s (-1%).
Across the UK, by 37% to 29% voters think Starmer would be a better prime minister than Johnson. This difference is led by voters in the north of the England and Scotland.
In the North West of England, 54% of voters think Starmer would do a better job, compared to 20% for Johnson. In Scotland these figures are 40% and 19%.
However, in the south of England and the country’s midlands voters are almost evenly divided, occasionally leaning towards Johnson. In the South East, 36% would prefer Johnson to 35% for Starmer, while in the South West both leaders sit on 30%.
The full data from the R&WS poll, which was conducted on February 21, can be found here.
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