Starmer more influential to Labour’s Holyrood vote than Sarwar, poll suggests
Almost 30% said the Prime Minister would have more of an influence on their vote next year than the Scottish Labour leader.
The Prime Minister has a bigger influence over Scottish voters than Anas Sarwar, a new poll suggests.
A survey by Opinion Matters for the communications firm Big Partnership spoke to 1,000 people between February 14 and 18, ahead of the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow this weekend, where Sir Keir Starmer will speak on Sunday.
In the poll, voters were asked who of the two Labour leaders would be more influential to their vote at next year’s Holyrood election.
Responding to the survey, 29.5% said the Prime Minister would have more influence over their decision, and 12.4% said he would have “significantly more influence” than the Scottish Labour leader.
Just 12.6% said Mr Sarwar would be more likely to sway their decision.
Some 27.3% of respondents said the influence of the men on their Holyrood vote was about the same.
Both Labour and the Tories in Scotland have long had issues with their partners south of the border making their lives harder.
Mr Sarwar’s party has seen poll numbers slump since their peak last summer, following a number of unpopular decisions, and has had to repeatedly field questions about Sir Keir’s actions, while the Scottish Tories were repeatedly undermined by their counterparts while they were in government.
Fraser Paterson, the head of public affairs at Big Partnership and a former adviser to a Labour MSP, said: “These results raise questions about the balance of influence between Labour north and south of the border when it comes to campaigning ahead of the Holyrood elections, and whether Anas Sarwar can establish a distinct electoral identity separate from the Prime Minister, who inevitably is making most of the political weather.
“Like the Conservatives, Labour has long grappled with tensions between Holyrood and Westminster, but that doesn’t have to be the case.
“The real test for Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar is whether they can forge a more unified approach.
“For organisations looking to shape the public agenda, it’s essential to understand where the differences may lie and identify both the pitfalls and opportunities that come with them.
“Therefore, engaging effectively on both sides of the border has never been more important.”
