Race for next First Minister: Poll shows who Scots back

Kate Forbes is viewed more favourably by the general public but Humza Yousaf is most popular among SNP voters, a new poll has suggested as the two vie for the party's leadership.

With just days left in the contest to succeed Nicola Sturgeon in Bute House, Ipsos Scotland released a survey of 1,023 Scots carried out between March 17 and 21 - 427 of whom voted for the SNP at the last Holyrood election.

According to the poll, Mr Yousaf is the most popular among SNP voters, with a net favourability of 11%, compared to 6% for his rival.

But Ms Forbes can lay claim to the highest net popularity among the general public with 8%, compared to the Scottish Health Secretary's 20%.

Former minister Ash Regan polled the worst of the three candidates.

Widely viewed as an outsider for the job, Ms Regan had a net favourability of 24% among the general population and 7% with SNP voters.

The SNP leadership contest will end on Monday, with the election of a new first minister slated for Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the outgoing First Minister's popularity has increased in the past month.

In the same poll in February, Ms Sturgeon's favourability was 4% - and that rose to 8% in the most recent survey.

The First Minister continued to be the most popular political leader in the UK, according to the poll, with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar on 4%, UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on 9%, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 37% and Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross on 39%.

But the SNP's popularity dropped into the negative in recent months.

The March survey put the SNP's net favourability at -1%, compared to 0% the month before and 1% in October.

Regardless, the party remains the most popular in Scotland, with Scottish Labour on 4% - a drop from 0% last month - and the Scottish Conservatives on 42%.

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