SNP chaos in the wake of Nicola Sturgeon’s departure is good for the union as the race for the party’s next leader begins, poll shows
Scottish independence is a further prospect after the departure of Nicola Sturgeon, many voters believe.
It came about when three candidates were confirmed yesterday in the race to succeed her as leader of the SNP.
A poll found that one in three adults (31 per cent) across the UK believe Mrs Sturgeon’s resignation last week has made Scotland less likely to vote to go it alone.
By contrast, only one in five in the Savanta poll thought independence was more likely once the Prime Minister and the SNP leader had left. It comes as Kate Forbes, Ash Regan and Humza Yousaf gained enough support to get their names on the ballot yesterday.
The poll results suggest that whoever wins will have an uphill fight to regain the momentum for independence.
A poll found that one in three adults (31 per cent) across the UK believe Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation last week has made Scotland less likely to vote to go it alone.
Until now, the contest has focused on the religious beliefs and social views of the candidates. A new leader will be announced on March 27.
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes became the first candidate but her campaign was nearly derailed when, under scrutiny for her membership of the deeply conservative Free Church of Scotland, she admitted to opposing gay marriage and saying it was wrong to have children. out of wedlock.
Health Secretary Mr Yousaf, seen as Ms Sturgeon’s anointed successor, overtook her as the bookies’ favourite, but while she insists she supports marriage equality despite her Muslim faith, she has also clashed to claims that he came “under pressure from the mosque” to skip a crucial vote on the issue.
The final candidate to launch her campaign was Ash Regan, who ran as a unity candidate, even though she resigned from Mrs Sturgeon’s government in protest of the controversial attempt to allow “self-identification” for transgender people as young as 16 years.
An early poll by The Big Partnership found that many SNP voters had not yet decided who to back, but the largest proportion of those who had, 28 percent, supported Miss Forbes.
Both Labor and the Conservatives believe that Mrs Sturgeon’s removal from the stage will boost her chances at the next general election, as well as the unionist cause.
Finance secretary Kate Forbes (pictured) became the first candidate, but her campaign nearly derailed when she admitted she was opposed to gay marriage and said it was wrong to have children out of wedlock.
Ash Regan (pictured) ran as a unity candidate, despite resigning from Mrs Sturgeon’s government in protest of the controversial attempt to allow ‘self-identification’ for transgender people as young as 16.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf (pictured) insists he supports marriage equality despite his Muslim faith. He has also faced claims that he came “under pressure from the mosque” to skip a crucial vote on the issue.
And on Thursday night there was an early glimmer of hope for Labour, as it seized a council seat in Aberdeen from the SNP with a significant swing.
Aberdeen Labor celebrated the by-election victory of Graeme Lawrence, whose email address on leaflets handed out to voters referred to himself as ‘Handsome Granda’, with the message: ‘Labour is the change Scotland needs – we come for the SNP. ‘
The Savanta poll found that opinion was divided on whether Ms Sturgeon had left her country in a better place at the end of her eight-year term, with the same proportion (42 per cent) saying she had improved it or not. .
Perhaps unsurprisingly, he was most popular north of the border with 54 per cent of Scottish adults believing his time in charge had gone well, including 20 per cent calling it an overwhelming success.
Across the UK, more than half of those surveyed (56 per cent) thought they had made the right decision to resign.
Chris Hopkins, Savanta’s director of political research, said: “Our recent survey in both the UK and Scotland speaks specifically to the influence Nicola Sturgeon has had on the political challenges facing the union in the 21st century.
“Her impact has been widespread, and although she is viewed more favorably in Scotland compared to the UK in general, it makes no sense for her to be a pantomime villain south of the border, and she has earned a lot of respect and fans.”