THE clear majority of Scots (61%) think the new Labour-run UK Government has little to no understanding of the issues facing Scotland, according to a new poll.
The YouGov survey, published on Wednesday morning, also found that just three in 10 Scots (30%) think their country is better off now Keir Starmer is in power.
The plurality (35%) said they think the change of power at Westminster has made no real difference, while 15% said they think Scotland will be worse off.
Asked whether Starmer’s election had strengthened the Union, just one in five Scots (22%) said it had while 13% said the opposite. The plurality, 43%, said it made no difference who was in power in Downing Street.
Of those who voted for Labour in the General Election in July that saw them take 37 seats north of the Border, less than half (47%) believe Scotland is better off as a result of the party’s election. A further 30% think the Labour win has made no real difference, despite backing the party in the election.
Only one in five Scots (20%), including only four in ten Labour voters (39%), believe that the Labour government in London understands Scottish issues better than the SNP administration in Holyrood.
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Three in 10 (35%) of the Scottish public believe the Westminster government has a weaker understanding of Scotland’s problems than its Holyrood counterpart.
With the SNP dropping to just nine seats at the General Election, while Labour won 37 in Scotland, there will no longer be a distinct Scottish angle at Prime Minister’s Questions each week – as Westminster SNP leader Stephen Flynn is not guaranteed a question.
Asked if they think that Scotland’s voice is less likely to be heard at Westminster given this election result, a quarter of Scots (24%) said it was, against 28% who said Scotland’s voice is likely to be stronger at Westminster than it was. A third (34%) said that the change has made no difference either way YouGov polled 1142 Scottish people aged 16 or over between August 8 and 13, 2024.
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