THE latest poll on Scottish independence has once again put Yes in the lead.
The BMG Research study, commissioned by the Herald, found 52% of respondents would vote for independence, while 48% would back No, once undecided voters were removed.
It is the second survey in a matter of days to record a narrow lead for Yes, after an Opinium study was published by Sky News on Thursday.
The new BMG Research poll also put the SNP on track to win a majority by one seat at the upcoming Holyrood election.
It found the SNP have a 27-point lead in the constituency vote, with the party on 48%, the Conservatives on 21%, Labour on 20% and the Liberal Democrats on 8%.
On the regional vote, the SNP are on 42%, the Tories 22%, Labour 17%, the LibDems 8% and the Greens 8%.
READ MORE: Yes regains the lead in latest poll on Scottish independence
Projections indicate this would give the SNP 66 seats in Holyrood, up three from the last election – handing the party a majority of just one.
The Tories would win 27 seats, down four; Labour would drop four seats to 20; the Greens would gain eight seats, up two; and the LibDems would win eight seats, up three.
If the SNP win a majority of seats in May, 46% of voters think the UK Government should agree to a second independence referendum in the next five years, compared to 43% who think it should not.
Robert Struthers, head of polling at BMG, said: "Polling in 2020 showed the SNP consistently getting over half the vote, with some polls placing their support as high as 58% when looking at the constituency vote.
"Whilst this is our first Scottish voting intention poll since the 2019 election, these numbers certainly suggest that the Alex Salmond affair has had a detrimental impact on their support.”
He added: "Whilst there is no question the SNP are on course to continue to be the largest party at Holyrood, our polling does suggest Sturgeon's ability to form a majority is now on a knife-edge.
"The fine margins of Scottish politics extend to people's views on Scotland's constitutional future.”
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The BMG researchers found 49% of Scots think Sturgeon should resign if she is found to have misled parliament and broken the ministerial code, compared to 38% who think she should not, while 13% don't know.
Asked about the Holyrood inquiry and how it relates to the First Minister, 47% said Sturgeon has been more truthful, compared to 24% for Salmond.
Such opinions are heavily tied to party affiliations.
Just 8% of those who voted SNP in the 2019 General Election think Salmond has been more truthful, compared to 74% for Sturgeon.
Whereas those who voted Conservative overwhelmingly favour Salmond.
The poll demonstrated again the First Minister's considerable popularity.
Some 55% of Scots are satisfied with the way she is doing her job as leader of the SNP, compared to 24% for Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, 57% believe Sturgeon has handled the coronavirus crisis well, compared to 24% for Johnson.
Asked which they consider the most important issue, 7% chose Scottish independence/remaining in the UK, while 44% chose coronavirus.
READ MORE: 'Rigged' independence poll panned by pollsters and politicians
Struthers added: "Close to half of Scots, including a quarter of SNP voters, think Nicola Sturgeon should resign should the investigation conclude there has been a breach of the ministerial code, highlighting the danger that the affair continues to pose to the First Minister.
"However, whilst it is probably fair to say that neither politician has come out the inquiry positively, many more Scots believe Sturgeon's account of events has been more truthful than Alex Salmond's."
He added: "What is striking from these numbers is that Sturgeon remains incredibly popular and an electoral asset ahead of May's election."
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