The SNP are on course for a comfortable victory in Thursday’s council elections, with a poll also showing a slump in Tory support.
Labour are in second place amid continuing troubles for Scots Tory leader Douglas Ross, according to the snapshot.
Voters will go to the polls this week in local elections dominated by national issues like the constitution and partygate.
Governing parties tend to struggle in so-called mid-term elections, but the Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times puts the SNP on 42%, excluding undecided voters.
This is up from the 32% the SNP recorded at the last council elections in 2017.
Anas Sarwar’s Labour, for so long in the doldrums of Scottish politics, polled 24%, with the Tories languishing on 21%.
The Lib Dems were fourth on 7% and others on 5%.
Ross’ colleagues are bracing themselves for a poor night as the scandal over Tory sleaze at Westminster continues to dog the party.
He has been mocked for u-turning on his call for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to quit over the Downing Street lockdown party scandal.
John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, said:
“Today’s poll confirms the impression that the Conservatives will struggle to defend the high-water mark that they achieved in 2017, and face a serious challenge from Labour to their position as Scotland’s second largest party, a position they have held at every ballot since 2016.
“Such an outcome would only exacerbate the political fragmentation and division on the pro-Union side of Scotland’s constitutional debate.”
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