RISHI Sunak has handed a “gift to the SNP” with the timing of the General Election, a pollster has said.
The Prime Minister has called a UK-wide Westminster election on July 4, 2024 – when all but two of Scotland’s 32 local council areas will have broken up for the school holidays.
The timing may mean that Scots are more likely to be holidaying out of the country than their English counterparts – who generally do not break up for the school holidays until later in July.
Commenting on the announcement, Mark Diffley of the Edinburgh-based polling firm the Diffley Partnership wrote on social media: “Calling an election at the start of the Scottish school holidays is a gift to the SNP – tells you all you need to know about UKG attitude to Scotland etc....”
Calling an election at the start of the Scottish school holidays is a gift to the SNP - tells you all you need to know about UKG attitude to Scotland etc..... #generalelection
— Mark Diffley (@markdiffley1) May 22, 2024
Asked to clarify his comments, the pollster suggested that it would not have a major impact on the number of people voting, but it might influence how they see Westminster’s attitude to Scotland.
“Don’t think it will impact significantly on the result but it gives them [the SNP] an early opportunity to say that the timing ignores Scotland etc,” Diffley wrote.
His prediction was quickly borne out, as First Minister John Swinney attacked the Tory government over the timing of the General Election.
Speaking to journalists at Holyrood on Wednesday, the First Minister accused Downing Street of “contempt” for the Scottish people.
He added that the party was in a “really good state” to fight the election because it has “strong, popular leadership”, adding that “Scotland is protected by the SNP”.
Stephen Flynn echoed the sentiment, saying it is "deeply concerning that Scotland’s school holidays have been an afterthought to Westminster".
The leader of the Scottish Tories, Douglas Ross, has called on Unionists to tactically back his party at the next General Election.
“If voters unite in the many seats where it’s a straight fight between the Scottish Conservatives and the SNP, we can get rid of nationalist MPs who have never focused on the things that really matter,” he said..
Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar said the people of the UK are “desperate for change”, while his party leader Keir Starmer claimed the SNP and Tories would run a campaign of “gesture politics”.
