UK NEWS

POLL PREDICTS 32 MORE SNP SEATS

Alex Salmond’s party has had ‘fantastic summer’

Sunday August 31,2008

By Brendan Abbott

A NEW poll yesterday showed the SNP has grown even more popular during August with the party on course to pick up more than 30 seats at Westminster.

The Nationalists claimed they are starting a new parliamentary year in buoyant mood after a “summer of success”, with the high point being their stunning victory in the Glasgow East by-election.

A “poll of polls” carried out this month shows that SNP support has reached a record high of 38 per cent – well ahead of Labour on 27 per cent, with the Tories on 19 per cent and the Lib Dems on 13 per cent.

If repeated in a General Election, this would see the party gain 32 new seats, with Labour losing 31, the Conservatives gaining three, and the Lib Dems

losing four.

A party spokesman said: “After a fantastic summer of success, the SNP approach the new political year full of vim – and in fine fettle for the Fife by-election, with a solid 11 point lead over Labour for a Westminster election.”

A by-election in Gordon Brown’s neighbouring Fife constituency of Glenrothes will take place this autumn after the death of Labour MP John MacDougall.

And the outlook is not good for the Prime Minister, with the latest YouGov poll showing that 60 per cent of Scots disapprove of the Government’s record to date, and 53 per cent disapprove of Mr Brown.

The new session at the Scottish Parliament will begin with a statement to MSPs from Mr Salmond on Wednesday, before he publishes the SNP’s programme including new legislation and action plans.