Politics: Labour support eroded in Scotland

Support for Labour in Scotland has plummeted to its lowest level in two years, according to the latest Scotsman/ICM poll.

The party stands at 41 per cent, down 4 per cent on last month's showing, although the Conservatives also slipped back by a point to 18 per cent. The poll, published in yesterday's Scotsman, puts the SNP behind Labour on 26 per cent - up 3 per cent on last month - and the Liberal Democrats on 13 per cent.

The survey will come as a blow to the Labour hierarchy as it was carried out last week amid Tory infighting over devolution.

The figures, adjusted to compensate for the reluctance of Tory supporters to voice their support, also shows that nearly three quarters of Scots regard the Conservatives as a predominantly English party. Of those polled, 73 per cent agreed with the statement: "The Conservative Party is a mainly English party with little relevance to Scotland." Just 26 per cent disagreed.

ICM interviewed 1,000 adults by telephone between 11 and 14 February.