THE SNP have branded Labour leader Keir Starmer "out of touch" as polling has revealed a majority of his party members back another referendum on Scottish independence.
Polling by YouGov since May’s Scottish election revealed that 55% of Labour members across the UK think the party should support indyref2 happening in the next few years.
The survey asked 989 members of the party their views on the idea of another vote on Scotland's future between June 22 and July 1. However, it asked just 31 people in Scotland.
READ MORE: Former Scottish Labour chief backs second independence referendum
The greatest support for another referendum came from the Midlands/Wales region where 64% of those polled think it should happen within the next few years.
Wales's Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford has previously said that both Wales and Scotland should be allowed to hold independence referenda should the parliaments wish.
May's Holyrood election saw a pro-independence majority voted into the Scottish Parliament with 64 SNP and seven Green MSPs elected of the 129 total seats.
Scottish Labour suffered their worst performance since devolution
SNP MSP Rona Mackay (below) said: “Keir Starmer is completely out of touch with his own party members, who clearly support Scotland’s right to choose our future in a post-pandemic referendum.
“The Labour Party ruined its reputation in Scotland by backing Boris Johnson’s hard Brexit, supporting austerity cuts, imposing Trident nuclear weapons and working hand-in-hand with the Tories in Better Together.
"In May’s Scottish elections, the SNP was returned to Government with a cast-iron mandate to hold a referendum. Yet Starmer – along with his Scottish branch manager Anas Sarwar - continues to side with Boris Johnson to deny the democratic will of the people of Scotland.
READ MORE: Anas Sarwar says he can fix Labour in Scotland if UK party is ready for power
“With Starmer reported to be visiting Scotland next month, he has a lot of explaining to do: Why is he denying our democratic choice?; Why is he woefully failing to provide any real opposition to Boris Johnson?; Why does he want to waste £200billion imposing nuclear weapons? Why has he turned Labour into a hard Brexit party by ruling out a return to the EU?
“His party in Scotland is condemned to being an irrelevant fringe party if it continues its denial of Scotland’s right to determine our future.”
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