Support for Scottish independence has hit a record high amid disillusionment with Keir Starmer and Reform’s surge.
A Norstat poll found 54 per cent backed the separatist cause north of the border, the joint highest ever detected by the firm.
The eight-point lead – excluding don’t knows – swelled to 16 points if people were asked to imagine Nigel Farage was PM.
The survey for the Sunday Times comes just days before the Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse by-election, where some fear Labour could be third behind the SNP and Reform.
Sir Keir has been facing a disastrous crash in his popularity since his victory in the general election last year.
Opinium research suggests his personal ratings have hit a new low of minus 37 over the past fornight.
In contrast, Mr Farage’s outfit has enjoyed a meteoric rise, opening up a clear advantage as the Tories and Labour fade.
Support for independence has largely stagnated since Scots rejected the idea in a by 55 per cent to 45 per cent in the 2014 referendum – although there was a brief spike during Covid.
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Support for Scottish independence has hit a record high amid disillusionment with Keir Starmer (pictured) and Reform’s surge
The eight-point lead – excluding don’t knows – swelled to 16 points if people were asked to imagine Nigel Farage (pictured) was PM
But the prospect of Mr Farage as PM could revive the campaign, with 58 per cent of Scots suggesting they would vote Yes in that scenario.
Despite the broader sentiment, support for the SNP has fallen back slightly since the last poll in February.
A third of Scots said they planned to vote for the separatists in the constituency vote next year, with 28 per cent saying the same about the regional list.
However, polling guru Sir John Curtice said that the SNP look set to remain comfortably the largest party due to the unionist vote fracturing.
John Swinney could command 54 seats while Labour would have 20 and Reform would secure a stunning 18 – more than the 17 projected for the Tories.
A narrow unionist majority at Holyrood could act as a block on a second independence referendum.
When the Hamilton by-election was called, it was widely seen as a two-horse race between the SNP’s Katy Loudon and Labour’s Davy Russell, but recent weeks have seen a surge in fortune for Reform.
Mr Swinney said yesterday it is ‘very clear’ that Labour is ‘out of this contest’ and it is now ‘between the SNP and Farage’.
‘I want to make sure that Farage’s politics don’t get any hold in Scotland, they are damaging,’ he said.
John Swinney said yesterday it is ‘very clear’ that Labour is ‘out of’ the Hamilton by-election and it is now ‘between the SNP and Farage’
Labour’s leader in Scotland is Anas Sarwar, pictured at Holyrood
Mark Diffley, of pollsters Diffley Partnership, said: ‘The SNP and wider nationalist movement will be encouraged by the poll’s findings of 54 per cent support for independence.
‘But what will concern the pro-union parties the most is the finding that the prospect of Nigel Farage as PM would push support for independence close to the symbolically important 60 per cent.
‘The rise of Reform is not only hitting Labour and the Tories at the ballot box but represents an increasing threat to the Union.’
