The SNP is closing the gap on Labor north of the border – but Scottish votes will continue to be a big help to Sir Keir Starmer at the polls, a Sky News poll suggests.
An exclusive YouGov poll for Sky News puts the Labor Party on 35% in Scotland and the SNP on 29%.
The Scottish Nationalists are catching up with Anas Sarwar’s party, but if the 4th of July results reflect the election, it will still mean big gains for Labor across the UK.
Labour’s performance in Scotland has always been an important aspect of whether they will achieve a majority at Westminster.
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The biggest blow in the Scottish polls, however, is dealt to the Conservatives, who YouGov has on 11% – on par with the Liberal Democrats. A pretty catastrophic position for a party that is the official opposition in Holyrood.
But voter attitudes change when considering their electorate in the 2026 Scottish elections.
On 18 June voters’ intentions changed to 28% for the SNP, 24% for Labour, 10% for the Conservatives and 7% for the Liberal Democrats.
This tells us that Scots treat elections in the UK and Scotland differently. It also suggests that the former creates an opportunity for a protest vote.
Or a cry of frustration at 14 years of Conservative rule at Westminster – or the firing of a warning shot at the SNP’s record after 17 years at Holyrood.
The SNP’s leadership chaos over the past 18 months and the collapse of its power-sharing agreement with the Green Party could see voters move elsewhere. But many are still undecided.
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Around 1,059 people over the age of 16 were interviewed by YouGov between June 20 and 25, exclusively for Sky News.
Of those surveyed in Scotland, 14% have changed how they plan to vote in the last four weeks.
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The campaign period clearly did not consolidate everyone’s votes.
Of these, 37% say it was due to the way the parties and their leaders behaved.
Anas Sarwar at the launch of the Scottish Labor manifesto in Edinburgh. Photo: PA
Voters are watching every move, including how parties will act on what matters most to them.
For people in Scotland, it is the NHS and healthcare above all else.
It has been ranked as the number one issue for voters this election, with 60% saying it will determine how they vote. This is compared to 34% in a UK sample.
The NHS is at the top of the list, despite it being a decentralized issue.
Around 52% rank the cost of living next, 35% say the economy in general, 20% say immigration and Scottish independence is at 17%.
Many are no closer to deciding which box to check and time is running out.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
