Poll: SNP poised for historic third Holyrood term

THE SNP is still winning support from Labour and Nicola Sturgeon is poised for another landslide victory in next year’s Holyrood election, a new poll has found.

SNP set for another landslide victory at the polls. Picture: Jon Savage

The Nationalists are poised to take an astonishing 60 per cent vote share in the May election, with Labour flatlining on 20 per cent and the Tories on 15 per cent, according the TNS survey.

And Scots see the future of the NHS and jobs as the key issues for next year’s campaign.

The SNP would be the first party to have three spells in office if it wins next year.

Tom Costley, head of TNS Scotland, said the SNP is enjoying a “commanding lead” over other parties.

“Our survey also suggests that the SNP vote may be holding together more strongly than the Labour vote,” he added.

“However, given that Labour is still in the process of choosing new UK and Scottish leaders, the picture may change later in the year when the leaders of all the parties set out their stalls at their autumn conferences.”

The SNP lead among younger voters continues to be especially strong – 73 per cent of those aged 16-34 who express a party preference say they intend to vote SNP, against 12 per cent backing Labour.

The Nationalists have been more successful in retaining the support of voterse who backed them in this year’s general election which saw them win all but three of Scotland’s 59 seats.Almost all (97 per cent) of those who said they voted SNP in May said they intended to back the party in the constituency vote for Holyrood next May. Among Labour general election voters, 85 per cent said they would stick with ther party.The poll of 1056 adults over 16, saw 60 per cent backing the SNP in the constituency vote and 51 per cent on the regionsal list. Labour trailed on 20 per cent in constituencies and 21 per cent on the list, while the Tories were on 14 per cent and 13 per cent respectively. The Lib Dems are at 5 per cent and 7 per cent, while the Greens are on 3 per cent on the list.The poll also continued to point towards a relatively high turnout, with 66 per cent saying they were certain to vote, just one point less than a month ago – turnout in the 2011 Holyrood election was 50 per cent.SEE ALSO• Unemployment in Scotland falls but rises for UK

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• In full: General Election 2015 Scottish seat results