Ruth Davidson ‘would make better opposition leader’ than Kezia Dugdale, according to poll

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has been rated higher than Kezia Dugdale as a potential leader of the opposition in the Scottish Parliament, according to a new poll for The Times.

Asked who would make a better leader of the opposition, 33 per cent of respondents in the YouGov survey named Ruth Davidson, compared to only 18 per cent who opted for Kezia Dugdale, and 23 per cent said neither.

Dugdale scored more in trust on the NHS and education policies, but Davidson was more trusted on the economy, policing, foreign affairs and Scotland’s relationship with the rest of the UK.

In voting intentions however, Labour climbed two points in a month to 21 percent, putting it above the Conservatives at 18, down one.

The SNP was up one percentage point at 50 per cent while the Liberal Democrats, Scottish Greens and UKIP all dropped a point to five, three and two respectively.

The movements in supported were all repeated in intentions for the regional list vote, with the SNP on 45, Labour on 19, the Conservatives on 18, the Scottish Greens on eight, Liberal Democrats on five and UKIP down to three per cent.

Those who have said they will not vote has dropped from nine per cent to four in the last month as the election campaign develops.