The British public view Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon as the UK’s most skilled political leaders, according to a new poll.

Both women are also seen as the most likely to get what they want out of Brussels, the UK-wide BMG survey for the Herald found.

Michael Turner, research director at BMG, said: "The strength of support for Britain’s two leading female politicians is unrivalled, with none of their male counterparts coming close in terms of competence and negotiation skills.

"For supporters of her own, and in fact all the major parties, Mrs May is recognised as a highly competent leader and a very strong negotiator. Aside from UKIP supporters, Ms Sturgeon is equally respected by voters from across the UK."

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The poll found that both women were streets ahead of the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron.

Almost half of those asked, 49 per cent, rated Ms Sturgeon as a very or fairly competent party leader, while 24 per cent described her as either very or fairly incompetent.

She was beaten only by Mrs May.

The Herald: British Prime Minister Theresa May attends a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin Wednesday, July 20, 2016, on May's first foreign trip after being named British Prime Minister. (AP Photo/M

A whopping 65 per cent judged the new Prime Minister good at leading her party, while just 9 per cent took the opposite view.

The other party leaders were viewed as incompetent by voters overall.

Mr Corbyn was seen as a good leader by 29 per cent, but a bad one by 45 per cent.

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Mr Farron's numbers were much smaller, reflecting the fact that many had no clue who he was.

In total 21 per cent saw him as a competent party leader, compared to 24 per cent who thought the opposite.

BMG also asked voters to rate the politicians’ ability to secure what they and their party want in any post-Brexit deals.

Once again Mrs May came out on top, among both Leavers and Remainers.

The Herald: First Minister Nicola Sturgeon addresses the 40th Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 27, 2015. The BBC of the future must resp

A total of 59 per cent said she would be a very or fairly strong negotiator, while 49 per cent said the same about Ms Sturgeon, 43 per cent about former Ukip leader Mr Farage, despite his resignation from his post last month, 12 per cent about Mr Farron and just 6 per cent about Mr Corbyn.

Ms Sturgeon was rated almost as highly as Mrs May by Remainers, but it was a very different story among Leave voters, the survey found.

The First Minister was also more likely to be seen as a very strong negotiator than Mrs May among voters in Scotland, although on a small sample size, while they were judged to be neck-and-neck when it came to their ability to lead their parties.

When it came to leadership, Mrs May scored as highly among current Labour supporters as Mr Corbyn.

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But those who voted Labour in last year's general election rate Mrs May much higher than the current Labour leader, the poll found.

BMG asked more than 1,200 adults across the UK.