SCOTTISH voters have had revealed what they really think about the UK’s political leaders.

A new Ashcroft poll of more than 2000 Scots found Nicola Sturgeon remains the most popular leader.

Respondents were asked to rate how positive or negative they felt towards party chiefs on a scale of extremely negative (-50) to extremely positive (+50). The First Minister scored highest, with an average approval rating of +6. Anas Sarwar was closest on -5, followed by Willie Rennie (-12), Lorna Slater was (-13), Douglas Ross (-19) and Alex Salmond (-34).

Boris Johnson (-23) and Keir Starmer (-8) also scored poorly.

The report published Scottish voters’ views on each of the leaders, with half of them praising Sturgeon because she “stands up for Scotland”.

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Other popular descriptions of the SNP leader included “determined” and “competent”.

One respondent said: “You can tell she's passionate about what she believes in. And I think she has principles which she is fairly consistent on. The party is promising a second referendum, I think she's done everything in her power to try and deliver that. So overall, I say she's been very good.”

Another added: “She’s done a good job of keeping everybody informed, despite me not liking her personally or her politics. I think she’s done a good job for Scotland.”

Scottish voters were not so generous in their praise for the Tory Prime Minister.

The most common words associated with Johnson were “dishonest”, “arrogant”, “out of their depth” and “out of touch”.

“I just can’t understand how so many English people can vote for Boris Johnson,” one voter said.

Johnson was also described him as “the SNP’s greatest recruiting tool”.

Another person commented: “I wouldn’t trust him to run a bath. He openly lies. He’s lost three jobs from not telling the truth. Just because his hair sticks up and he gives you a wink doesn’t make it all right.”

The report states: “In our groups of past SNP voters, Johnson was the embodiment of everything they most disliked about Westminster Tory rule. Past Tory voters were more positive but usually far from effusive.”

Researchers also invited respondents to compare political leaders to animals. In Johnson’s case, he was associated with animals considered annoying, unkempt or dangerous.

“A mosquito – seems a bit harmless and annoying because of his clown persona but actually probably is going to give you malaria,” one person said.

Sturgeon, meanwhile, was likened to animals associated with “qualities of bravery and shrewdness”, researchers found.

“Nicola is a lion,” one interviewee said. “I’ve sort of got that image in my head of the Lion King, you know, standing on top of the rock and surveying her kingdom and offering leadership.”

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Another added: “A wise owl. A wise young owl.”

The words most often associated with Alex Salmond were “arrogant,” “smug,” “dodgy” and “dishonest.” He was compared to a warthog, snake and toad.

The response was more mixed for Starmer, who was described as “competent”, but also “weak” and “indecisive”.

He was associated with animals that like to keep a low profile – including a mole, Labrador and meerkat.

One person said: “A mole. He’s been hidden underground the whole time he’s been there.”

The report found other Scottish leaders had "not made a huge impression" on voters.

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One described Tory chief Ross as a "nice guy", but added: "We need someone like Ruth Davidson who has some balls and is prepared to speak up at Holyrood and tell Nicola Sturgeon to sit in her seat and be quiet.”

Another said: “He was asked ‘what would you do if you were Prime Minister for a day?’ and he said, ‘have a harder line on gypsies.’ I just think he gets everything completely wrong.”

Sarwar was also described as a "nice guy", but also "a bit dull".

One respondent commented: “He comes across as quite calm and level-headed. The Labour party went a bit extreme in the last few years, so someone like that is a calming influence.”

Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie was praised for being a straight talker. “If you ask him a question you usually get a straight answer, which is very unlike most politicians," one response read.

Finally, LibDem leader Rennie came in for criticism over the Westminster party's coalition with the Tories.

One voter said: "I think they sold their souls with the coalition, with the Tories and tuition fees. The taste is left in your mouth that you don’t know what you’re voting for with the Lib Dems, that they don’t really stand for anything.”

Another added: “He’s very good for a photo op. He’ll so anything. He’ll stroke a badger; he’ll sit on anything. But there’s nothing there, a blank space.”