A NEW poll has found that the Conservatives would become Westminster’s third party behind the SNP in a snap election.

A poll of 28,000 people for The Telegraph found that if there were an imminent General Election then the Tories would be left with fewer seats than the SNP.

This would mean that Stephen Flynn would become the leader of the opposition.

The figures, from pollsters Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus, report Labour winning 49 per cent of the vote while the Tories would win just 23 per cent.

The style of polling used means results could be calculated in individual seats.

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The SNP would win 50 MPs according to results while the Tories would have just 45, down from 365.

In response to the data, SNP Depute Leader Keith Brown said: "This poll shows that only the SNP can get rid Scotland of Westminster Tory governments for good. 

"As we know, Keir Starmer has no intention of reversing the Tories greatest damaging policy – Brexit.

"While it is welcome to see the third poll in a matter of days showing huge support for the SNP, the projection that the SNP would become the official opposition at Westminster is another stark reminder of the current constitutional bourach. 

"With Labour now being fully paid-up members of the hard-Brexit club, Scotland will still have to suffer the deep and lasting consequences of leaving the EU - and as history shows, the only guaranteed result of a Westminster Labour government is the Tory government that replaces it."

This comes after The National revealed support for Scottish independence is at its second-highest level EVER reached. 

Meanwhile, the new polling forecast that Labour would gain 306 seats, taking its total number of MPs to a record 509 out of 650 available.

Elsewhere, the Liberal Democrats would more than double their number of MPs from 11 to 23 while Plaid Cymru and the Greens would be unchanged at four MPs and one respectively.

The polling was carried out from January 27 to February 5 before Rishi Sunak reshuffled his ministerial team.

What about the Cabinet?  

On a seat-by-seat basis, 15 Cabinet ministers would lose their seats including Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Home Secretary Suella Braverman and former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss as well as ex-chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.

Chief executive of Find Out Now Chris Holbrook told the newspaper that the forecasts made “shocking reading for Conservatives”

Martin Baxter, chief executive of Electoral Calculus, added: “The Conservatives have been far behind in the polls for the last four months, with little sign of improvement.

“They have lost support across the country, particularly in traditionally strong Conservative areas, which bodes very badly for the next General Election.

“That election could be a near-wipeout and worse than 1997, with the Conservatives not even being the main opposition party.”

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith claimed that “it is still quite a soft lead for Labour” and that the current UK Government could still influence voters by “sorting out the small boats issue, dealing with the NHS crisis and cutting taxes to get growth going”.