SUPPORT for Labour in Scotland is falling at the same time as Jeremy Corbyn's approval rating has turned negative, a poll published today has shown.
Research by YouGov revealed the UK Labour leader has a personal approval rating of -3, compared to the +20 he scored three months ago.
The latest public opinion survey showed while 40 per cent of voters in Scotland think Corbyn is doing a good job, 43 per cent described him as doing "badly".
At the same time the research has shown that the number of people who said they would vote Labour at either Holyrood or Westminster has fallen.
The poll suggested Nicola Sturgeon's SNP would be the largest party at Holyrood after the next Scottish Parliament election, but would lose ten seats, while the Tories would continue to be in second place with 33 seats (up 2), while Labour would continue in third with 27 seats, an increase in three. It also forecast a boost for the Greens with the party taking an extra four seats to give them a tally of ten at Holyrood.
In a UK General Election it predicted Labour would come second to the SNP in Scotland, with 28 per cent of those questioned saying they would support Labour, down from 30 per cent in October 2017.
The YouGov poll - for which 1,002 people were questioned between January 12 and 16 - also recorded a slight drop in support for independence, with this standing at 43 per cent - compared to 44 per cent in October 2017 and below the 45 per cent achieved in the 2014 referendum.
It also found 68 per cent of Scots believe Prime Minister Theresa May is performing badly, with only 21 per cent believing she is doing well.
Some 12 per cent of those polled believed new Scottish Labour Richard Leonard was performing well, 27 per cent badly, while 60 per cent said they didn't know.
Meanwhile, just over a third (36 per cent) want a second vote in independence in the next five years, compared to 39 per cent in October - with the proportion opposed to this increasing from 52 per cent to 54 per cent over the period.
"As Labour's support for a Tory hard Brexit has become clearer, Scottish public opinion has taken a dramatic turn against Jeremy Corbyn – while people haven't got a clue who Richard Leonard even is," said SNP business convener Derek Mackay.
"The fact that Scotland is being dragged out of the EU against our will, with all of the damage that will cause to jobs and our economy, underlines the need for Scotland to control our own future.
"Independence would allow us to do so, and support for an independent Scotland, across a range of polls, remains at historically high levels.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, which also supports independence, said: "Green MSPs are leading the change in Scottish politics. We’ve brought other parties onto our ground on public sector pay and used new social security powers to stop Tory sanctions. We’ve led the way on banning fracking, progressive tax and boosting families’ incomes. We’re determined to make Scotland fairer, and it seems voters recognise that Greens get things done while other parties posture."
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