There’s a new Scottish poll from YouGov in the Scotsman this morning which suggests that the Tories will struggle to improve on the solitary seat they gained in 2005.
The poll puts Labour on 37 per cent, down just 2 points since the last election, with the Lib Dems down 1 to 22 per cent, the Scottish National Party up 3 to 21 per cent and the Tories up 1 to just 17 per cent.
If repeated on a uniform swing, the figures would allow Labour to regain Glasgow East from the SNP and Dunfermline West from the Lib Dems. Meanwhile, Nick Clegg’s party would gain Edinburgh South and the SNP would take Ochil and South Perthshire from Labour.
Here’s a full breakdown:
Labour 39 (+2)
Lib Dems 12 (+1)
SNP 7 (+1)
Conservatives 1 (nc)
Based on the Tories’ current poll lead, the minute swing to them in Scotland implies, however, that they’re performing disproportionately well in other regions such as the Midlands and the south of England.
All the same, presented with the poll finding by a Scotsman journalist, Cameron replied:
Poll . . . poll shmole. We have got a big one on Thursday. What’s the point of worrying about polls now? Everyone has got a chance to vote on Thursday.
That Cameron has been forced to resort to the line “There’s only one poll that counts” is sign of diminished confidence in the party. The Tories are neither where they wanted to be, nor where they expected to be.
The weeks that Cameron hoped to spend leading a majority government will now be spent desperately trying to win support from the Democratic Unionist Party and others.
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