SUPPORT for Scottish independence has dropped to 50% for the first time in more than a year, according to the results of a new poll.
It’s the first survey in 23 not to show Yes in the lead, and it seems to suggest that the clash between Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond is having an impact.
The Survation poll for the Sunday Mail was conducted on Thursday – the day before the former First Minister’s six-hour evidence session in front of Holyrood’s harassment inquiry.
According to the pollster, when undecided voters are included, Yes is on 43% while No is on 44%. When the don’t knows are moved it takes both the figures to 50% . Though it’s not a huge fall from the last Survation poll on independence, carried out the Scot Goes Pop blog in January. Then, support for independence was on 51%.
The company’s peak was in November, when it scored 54%.
READ MORE: Half of Scots back independence, according to new Yes poll
The polling consultant Mark Diffley said there were “a few signs in recent polling that the SNP and Yes movement are taking a hit in the polls just now”.
He added: “Not just the Salmond issue, but Covid handling is also not as good for them as before. The key is obviously the First Minister at committee this week and then on to the election campaign.”
Survation also found that 39% of those asked believe there to have been some sort of “cover-up” in the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints against Salmond. Another 31% said there had been no “cover-up”, while another 30% said they didn’t know.
Another 50% said Nicola Sturgeon should resign if she is found to have broken the Ministerial Code.
While 44% agreed that the handling of harassment complaints against Salmond as a “failure of government.”
Another 43% said the SNP had been in government for too long, while 41% disagreed.
The poll also found 44% of voters believe there had been a failure of government over the Alex Salmond inquiry, with just 32% disagreeing.
Survation CEO Damian Lyons Lowe told the Sunday Mail: “This is the first polling since June last year to show that Yes has lost its lead over the No camp.
“Survation also saw only a small two-point lead for Yes in our polling in January, so it is conceivable we’re seeing opinion becoming entirely split over the question of independence.”
The SNP’s depute leader Keith Brown said: “With the election fast approaching, polls are tightening. The SNP believes Scotland’s future should be decided by the people of Scotland – not Boris Johnson.
“The SNP continues to have Scotland’s best interest at heart, and will work hard every day to maintain the trust and confidence of the Scottish people.
“The people of Scotland have shown, in poll after poll and election after election, that they place their trust in Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP to lead Scotland through the coronavirus pandemic and beyond.
“May’s election offers Scotland two choices: more broken promises and austerity measures under Boris Johnson, or the right to decide if Scotland has a progressive future within the European Union as an independent country.
“With both votes SNP, we can deliver a strong, fair and green recovery and put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands – not Boris Johnson’s.”
READ MORE: Latest poll should be a wake-up call but catastrophe is not on the horizon
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond are fighting like ferrets in a sack but the divisions run right through the SNP – it’s beyond them and infecting the whole party.
“People need honesty and accountability in their politicians. Sadly, we have seen little of that from the SNP in recent weeks and months.”
A Scottish Tory spokesman said on the study: “Only the Scottish Conservatives can prevent an SNP majority, stop another divisive referendum and get the Scottish Parliament 100% focused on rebuilding Scotland.”
LibDem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “The section of the Ministerial Code that Nicola Sturgeon is accused of breaching could not be clearer.
“If she has misled Parliament then she will have to resign as First Minister. It’s not a ‘will she/won’t she’ kind of deal.”
Last week a poll for Ipsos MORI said independence was the main issue for voters, with 44% saying it is the top issue helping them decide who to vote for in May’s election.
Education follows, mentioned by 32% of voters, then it’s the NHS on 25%, and coronavirus on 20%.
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