Poll puts Anas Sarwar ahead of Humza Yousaf as preferred choice for first minister

A new poll has put Anas Sarwar ahead of Humza Yousaf with the public when asked who would be a better first minister.

It is the first time the Scottish Labour leader has outpolled Yousaf, who will mark a year as first minister later this month.

According to the polling by Redfield and Wilton Strategies, which was carried out on the 10^th and 11^th of March, 32 per cent of respondents think Sarwar would currently make a better first minister, compared with 31 per cent for Yousaf – 37 per cent of those polled didn’t know.

The poll marks a significant reversal from this time last year when there was a gap of around 10 points between the two men.

According to the pollsters, Sarwar’s popularity has increased in recent months following Labour’s win in the Hamilton and Rutherglen by-election, while Yousaf’s rating fell after the expenses scandal involving former health secretary Michael Matheson. Matheson quit after it emerged he had run up a data roaming bill of nearly £11,000 on his parliamentary iPad. He later agreed to pay the money back.