Labour is on course to collapse in Scotland losing three quarters of its Parliamentary seats, according to a poll, which shows the Scottish National Party storming ahead despite its loss in the independence referendum.
The Guardian newspaper has warned of a “bloodbath” after its ICM poll placed the SNP on 43%, with Labour trailing 17 points behind on 26%.
If that translates into a uniform swing it would mean Labour losing 31 of its 41 MPs, although an analysis by Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University suggests things could be even worse than that.
The SNP, meanwhile, would surge from six seats to winning 45 of the 59 Scottish constituencies.
That could leave the party with the balance of power in a Westminster Parliament.
William Hill is offering 6/1 odds that former SNP leader and Parliamentary candidate Alex Salmond could be a Government minister after the next election.
Angus Robertson, the SNP general election campaign director, called it “another encouraging poll” after a Survation survey for the Daily Record placed his party on 48%.
“This is the second poll in a week showing that Jim Murphy has experienced a ‘reverse honeymoon’ as Scottish Labour leader, with Labour trailing far behind the SNP.”
The SNP believes that Labour’s decision to work with the “toxic” Conservatives in the referendum campaign has damaged it electorally in Scotland.
In the new poll the Tories are on 13%, UKIP on 7% and the Lib Dems on 6%.
That is bad news for Nick Clegg’s party which has 11 MPs north of the border – almost one fifth of the party’s total. Under this poll the Lib Dems would be reduced to just three.
Labour sources say they don’t comment on opinion polls, stressing that the only poll that matters is the one in May.
The party’s new leader in Scotland, Jim Murphy, has tried to distance Labour in Scotland to its leadership in Westminster. He believes he can turn around Labour’s fortunes, saving all its seats – but many in the party are less confident.
They know that the result north of the border could have a profound impact on Labour’s overall chances.
But the Conservatives are also facing a looming threat from UKIP, with sources saying that squeezing Nigel Farage’s party is the main priority in the run-up to the General Election.
It comes as The Times newspaper names Mr Farage as its 2014 “Briton of the Year”.
That is despite a tempestuous relationship with the UKIP leader following articles that claimed to expose weaknesses within the party including Mr Farage’s own expenses claims.
He had accused the newspaper of being a voice of the “establishment” with questionable motives.
Mr Farage tweeted: “Despite all, the Times has named me Briton of the Year. Attacks aside, I am grateful. Thank you”.
The Times says Mr Farage’s party has blamed workers from abroad for any public concern. It says young voters “worry about racist tendencies” and about candidates exposed as “sexist, homophobic or unpleasant”.
But it adds that no one has done more to shape British politics in 2014. “For good and ill he is therefore the Times Briton of the Year”.
New Poll Warns Of Scottish Labour 'Bloodbath'
No comments:
Post a Comment