SNP To Win All 59 Scottish Seats At Election, Suggests New Poll

The SNP could win all 59 Scottish seats in the General Election, according to analysis of a new opinion poll conducted by Ipsos MORI for STV News.

The stunning poll puts support for Nicola Sturgeon's party at 54%, up by two percentage points on the last poll, with Labour trailing on 20%, down from 24%.

Support for the Conservatives has increased by five points to 17% while the Liberal Democrats are on 5%, up one point, the Greens are on 2%, down by two points, Ukip are polling at 1%, with support for other parties also at 1%. Using these figures, the Electoral Calculus website predicts that the SNP would take all 59 seats in Scotland.

Sturgeon reacted to the survey with a cautious tweet: "Forget polls - only votes win elections. The more seats @theSNP win, the stronger Scotland will be. Let's keep working hard.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Kezia Dugdale said: "A vote for anyone other than Labour makes it more likely the Tories will be the largest party across the UK and that David Cameron will walk back into Downing Street. That would be a disaster for Scotland, but it's what could happen if this poll is repeated on election day. We can't afford to take that gamble with the future of Scotland."

Ipsos MORI questioned 1,071 people between April 22 and 27 on how they would vote if there were a general election tomorrow.

Speaking in Scotland today, Sturgeon insisted it is "wrong" that the Conservatives can govern in Scotland with just one MP in the country.

"This election, which all the polls suggest will result in a hung parliament, really does gives Scotland an unprecedented opportunity to make our voice heard at Westminster. Scotland doesn't need to be powerless in the face of remote Westminster decisions. We can, if we so choose, make Westminster sit up and take notice," she said.

"At this election, if we elect a powerful team of SNP MPs, we can make our voice heard more loudly than it has been before and then we can use that voice to make Westminster work better for all of us."

Today's poll is the latest to show a record level of support for nationalists after a survey by TNS published on Monday put the SNP on 54%.

It recorded support for Labour at 22%, the Tories at 13%, Lib Dems at 6% and the Greens and Ukip both on 2%. Using the Electoral Calculus seat predictor, the TNS results put the SNP on 57 seats, with one each for Labour and the Lib Dems.

Another TNS poll published today in the Herald newspaper shows record levels of support for Sturgeon across the country. The snapshot of 1,200 adults in Scotland, England and Wales shows the First Minister has the highest approval rating of the party leaders. The poll gave Sturgeon a Britain-wide net approval rating of plus 33, a record for TNS.

She is followed by Nigel Farage on plus 12, David Cameron on plus 7, Ed Miliband on minus 8, and Nick Clegg on minus 22.

Sturgeon is top of the polling in every part of the country, leading on plus 30 in north-east England, plus 38 in Wales and the West Country and plus 33 in Greater London. In Scotland, her approval rating surges to plus 55, where she is the only leader with a positive net rating.