SCOTLAND looks set to overwhelmingly vote to remain in the EU, according to a new poll.
Almost two thirds of Scots told Ipsos MORI they wanted to remain in the EU, with 22 per cent looking to leave, and 13 per cent saying they don’t know. A UK-wide poll showed support for the EU at 52 per cent with 35 per cent wanting to leave.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the UK voting to leave the EU while Scotland votes to remain would be a trigger for a second referendum on independence.
The poll, conducted for STV shows the Tories are battling Labour for second place in next May’s elections.
Ipsos-Mori say the Tories are now up six points to 18 per cent in the constituency vote for next year’s Scottish Parliamentary elections, just two points behind Labour. The SNP are at 50 per cent, down five points.
In the regional list vote, the SNP are down four points to 46 per cent, Labour are on 19 and the Tories on 16 per cent. The Liberal Democrats are on eight per cent and the Greens are on seven.
According to STV the figures would see the SNP returned as the majority party with 75 seats, compared to Labour’s 25, the Tories 17, the Greens on eight and the LibDems on seven.
Mark Diffley, director at Ipsos MORI Scotland said: “This latest poll continues to show the SNP in a commanding position despite losing some ground after a bruising few weeks.
“Interestingly, it is the Scottish Conservatives who benefit and they are now seriously challenging Labour as the main opposition to the SNP ahead of the Holyrood vote next May. On the forthcoming EU referendum it is notable that opinion in Scotland is firmly in favour in the UK remaining part of the EU ...
“It does of course remain possible that the UK could vote to leave the EU against the wishes of Scottish voters, a scenario with implications for a possible second independence referendum.”
Other findings in the poll show that 67 per cent of Scots are satisfied with Nicola Sturgeon’s performance compared to 28 per cent who are dissatisfied, giving a net satisfaction score of +39 per cent.
The Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson’s satisfaction ratings have moved up nine points to +14 per cent while Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has seen her approval ratings improve from +1 per cent in August to +4 per cent now.
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