 | 'Scotland is not a very attractive place for people to come and settle.' Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Attorney General and Conservative MP for Beaconsfield on Good Morning Scotland, Radio Scotland, March 2005. |  |
| 'Scotland is not a very attractive place for people to come and settle.' Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Attorney General and Conservative MP for Beaconsfield on Good Morning Scotland, Radio Scotland, March 2005. | |
LABOUR have jumped nine points in Scotland on the back of Gordon Brown's Budget, according to the latest opinion poll. And it makes grim reading for the SNP who are in freefall.
The poll showed 52 per cent of Scots say they will vote for Labour, a massive lead of 35 per cent over the SNP.
The Nats have slumped to just 17 per cent and, more worrying for them, the Tories are breathing down their necks just one point behind.
The Chancellor's Budget boosted pensioners, hard-working families and homebuyers and it has seen Labour recover from43per cent earlier in March.
Scottish Opinion carried out the poll for the Daily Record between March 23and 29 and asked 1045 people across Scotland how they would vote.
The surge for Labour has seen support for both the SNP and the Liberal Democrats slump.
The Nats are down three points from 20 per cent, while the Lib Dems are down from 16 per cent to 12 per centFormer SNP leader John Swinney had to resign when his party polled 19.7 per cent in last year's Euro elections.
But the return of Alex Salmond as leader seems to have done little to stop the slide. The Tory vote, however, has held steady on 16 per cent.
Conservative support is traditionally underestimated by polls as few people are willing to admit to voting for them.
It seems the general election may be a straight left-right fight in Scotland.
It is expected that the election date of May 5 will be announced by Tony Blair next week.
The one Tory MP in Scotland, Peter Duncan, said: 'Scots voters know there is a clear choice - - a vote for higher tax and more waste under Labour or lower tax and value for money under the Tories.'
Labour cautiously welcomed the results but a spokesman said: 'The only poll that matters will be the general election whenever it is called.'
The Scottish Socialist Party are struggling without Tommy Sheridan as leader. They were at just one per cent in the poll
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