A SIGNIFICANT majority of Scottish voters think Boris Johnson should resign over the partygate scandal, including a majority of Tory voters.
More than three-quarters of Scots voters think the Prime Minister should step aside over the mounting scandal engulfing his government, according to a recent Panelbase poll.
The survey was conducted this week as the much anticipated Sue Gray report released an update into the inquiry on lockdown-breaking gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall.
It asked 1128 Scottish adults whether they think Johnson should go for his role in the ongoing controversy.
READ MORE: Scotland to open new EU hub amid push for indyref2
The poll showed that 76% think he should go while just 15% want him to stay with around 10% of voters saying they were unsure.
It comes ahead of local authority elections across the UK with Scottish Tories fearing the fiasco at Downing Street could affect their standing and push them into third place behind the SNP and Labour.
Among Scots who voted Tory at the 2019 General Election, 50% said Johnson should stand down from his role as PM while 37% want him to remain and 13% were unsure.
The Scottish Tory party has attempted to distance itself from Johnson amid the scandal with senior figures backing leader Douglas Ross's call for the PM to stand down.
READ MORE: Scottish Tory MPs told to 'show some backbone' over partygate
Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, said: “Because the party did so well in the 2017 local elections, even in the best of circumstances the Conservatives were at risk of losing ground in the ballot in May.
“However, voters’ adverse reaction to Johnson’s involvement in ‘Partygate’, including by many who voted Conservative in 2019 and/or 2021, means that the Conservatives’ position as the most popular pro-Union party could be at risk of being lost to Labour.
“It is little wonder that Ross was among the first to call for the Prime Minister’s resignation.”
Amid the scandal that is overshadowing every move the UK Government makes, the SNP say Scottish Tory MPs should "show some backbone" and write letters of no confidence in Johnson, 54 of which are needed by the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs to call a vote of confidence in his leadership.
KIrsten Oswald, the SNP's deputy Westminster leader, said: "Despite Boris Johnson's desperate attempts to dismiss his boozy lockdown parties, the reality is that people will not be fooled - with poll after poll showing that the public believe he should resign.
"Boris Johnson has broken the rules, misled Parliament, and is completely unfit for office. It's time for Scottish Tory MPs to finally come out of hiding and submit their letters of no confidence.
READ MORE: Andrew Tickell: The alcohol culture at Westminster goes deeper than Boris Johnson
"At a time when Tory MPs in England are calling for the Prime Minister to go, and Downing Street staff are quitting in protest, it beggars belief that the feeble five are enabling him to stay.
"They are snubbing Douglas Ross and undermining his position, by siding with Boris Johnson. Despite being repeatedly overlooked for promotion, humiliated by the Prime Minister, and their Scottish Tory leader being dismissed as a 'lightweight' by their Westminster bosses, it seems they are still clinging to the hope of being given a ministerial job if they remain loyal.
"It's time they showed some backbone and stood up for their constituents, instead of always putting their own careerist ambitions first."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel