The Scottish National Party has fallen 20 points in the polls with fears the party is in for a "bad night" at the upcoming general election.
A new poll has revealed leader Humza Yousaf's approval rating currently stands at minus 16 compared with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar’s rating of minus seven.
Some MPs have started contemplating the prospect of not being elected at the forthcoming general election by constituents who believe the change they demand may come from a national Labour government.
However, despite the rising chances of a disappointing night for the SNP, close allies to Yousaf have insisted that he is going nowhere, even after the general election.
One central belt MP told The Times: "My seat is the difference between a bad night for the party and a disastrous one."
The majority of polls suggest that Labour may win more seats in Scotland than the SNP in a setback for nationalists. However, a new poll that surveyed 15,000 people across the UK suggested they may lose only seven of their 48 seats.
Last week , the SNP leader insisted that he would demand a Labour government in London agree a "Section 30 order" that would grant the Scottish government the right to hold a second referendum on independence.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has previously spoken of his opposition to granting permission for another independence referendum if he becomes Prime Minister.
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Despite the polling, Yousaf retains the support within the SNP. One loyal MP said: "Humza is going f***ing nowhere after the general election."
However, critics of Yousaf have shared the same sentiment. One said: "Humza won’t resign and there is nobody at Holyrood who will oust him."
Despite this, thoughts are already turning to the aftermath of the 2026 Holyrood election, with a critic adding: "Stephen Flynn will be an MSP then and Kate [Forbes] won’t get a look in."
Sources close to Yousaf intimate that his claim that securing more seats at the general election than any other party would constitute victory should be seen as a template for the story to be told in the aftermath of the next Holyrood election, reports The Times.
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said: "Humza Yousaf’s first year as SNP leader has been nothing short of a disaster for him, his party and, most importantly, the people of Scotland. It’s a tale of independence obsession, abject failures and broken promises; of a First Minister out of his depth and unable to control his feuding, scandal-ridden party."
As Nicola Sturgeon’s continuity candidate, Humza Yousaf took over as leader of the Scottish National Party with 52.1 per cent of the final vote, seeing off competition from Ash Regan and Kate Forbes.
Ash Regan has since left the SNP to join Alex Salmond’s Alba Party, at the time referencing a newly surfaced “difference of opinion that’s opened up” with the SNP’s independence policy.
Former Finance Secretary Kate Forbes remains on the party backbenches representing Skye and Lochaber, but as Anas Sarwar eludes to, she remains unimpressed by Humza Yousaf’s leadership.
