Scotland on course to vote Yes, shock poll reveals

Scotland is on course to vote for independence, according to a shock new poll, which today puts Alex Salmond’s Yes campaign in the lead for the first time.

The YouGov survey for The Sunday Times shows the nationalists have now taken a two point lead and are poised to triumph in the referendum on September 18.

It revealed Scottish voters are quickly deserting the Labour-led unionist campaign with 35 per cent now backing independence - nearly double the supporters a month ago.

The under 40s, working class and women voters are also shifting towards the Yes camp.

In a second blow for Labour, just one in three voters trust arguments made by Alistair Darling, the head of the Better Together campaign, or its most high profile campaigner, Gordon Brown.

In contrast, Salmond and his deputy Nicola Sturgeon are trusted by more than 40 per cent of Scottish voters.

Sturgeon said: "This breakthrough poll shows that Yes has the big momentum - but we still have work to do if we are to win.

"More and more people are beginning to realise that a Yes vote is Scotland's one opportunity to make that enormous wealth work better for everybody who lives here, create more jobs, and protect vital services such as the NHS from the damaging effects of Westminster privatisation."

Better Together leader Alistair Darling said: "The polls may conflict, but the message I take from them is clear: If you want Scotland to remain part of the UK family you have to vote for it on 18 September. Separation is forever.

"These polls can and must now serve as a wake-up call to anyone who thought the referendum result was a foregone conclusion. It never was. It will go down to the wire. Now is the time to speak up and speak out."