Neck and Neck In the Scottish Polls

The Scottish National Party hailed the result of am Ipsos MORI poll which puts the SNP and Labour neck and neck for UK General Election voting intentions and 7 points ahead for Holyrood.

SNP Westminster Leader Angus Robertson said the coming General Election was full of opportunity for Scotland, in light of the increasing possibility of a hung parliament.

SNP MP and Westminster leader Angus Robertson said:

"This is a breakthrough poll for the SNP, putting us far and away in our strongest ever position going into a UK General Election - neck and neck with Labour for Westminster, and 7 points ahead for Holyrood.

"Before the 2005 General election, the same polling organisation put the SNP at just 13 per cent, and we added 5 points to that in the election campaign itself.

"This time round, we are already at 32 per cent - with a current

projection of 11 seats - and the lesson of the last election is that we can strengthen that fantastic position further in the campaign itself.

"The election in Scotland - a two-horse race between the SNP and Labour - is now absolutely wide open.

"With the real possibility of a hung or balanced parliament at

Westminster, the situation is redolent with opportunity for Scotland and

the SNP.

"In that scenario, working on a case by case, day by day basis along with our Plaid Cymru partners - we can secure vital gains for Scotland, regardless of whether the next UK Government is Labour or Tory.

"To take just one Scottish priority, we can free Scotland's £170 million Fossil Fuel Levy from the grip of Treasury control, to invest in boosting renewable energy projects.

"The SNP are on the front foot, with record pre-election poll ratings, and SNP MPs will be champions who can win for Scotland."

Notes:

The poll findings for those certain to vote are:

* Westminster voting intentions (change since 2005 General Election in

brackets):

SNP: 32% (+14)

Lab: 34% (-6)

Con: 17% (+1)

Lib Dem: 12% (-11)

Other: 5%

On these figures, the SNP would gain seats such as Dundee West, Aberdeen North, Ochil & South Perthshire, and Kilmarnock & Loudon from Labour; and Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey, and Argyll & Bute from the Lib Dems.

Scottish Parliament constituency vote (change since 2007 Holyrood election

in brackets):

SNP: 36% (+3)

Lab: 29% (-3)

Con: 14% (-3)

Lib Dem: 15% (-1)

Green: 3%

SSP: 1%

Other: 2%

On these figures, the SNP would gain 10 more constituency seats: Aberdeen Central, Falkirk East, Cumbernauld & Kilsyth, Dumbarton, Airdrie & Shotts, Linlithgow, East Kilbride, Midlothian, and Glasgow Kelvin from Labour; and Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale from the Lib Dems.

Alex Salmond has a positive rating as First Minister of 46% satisfied

compared to 45% dissatisfied.  Gordon Brown’s satisfaction rating is 47%, and Nick Clegg’s is only 38%.

David Cameron is the only leader to have as negative rating: 39% satisfied compared to 44% dissatisfied.

Results are based on an Ipsos MORI survey of 1,006 respondents between 18-21 February.