A NEW poll has identified SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson as a potential general election casualty, with his Moray seat among seven predicted Tory gains in Scotland.
The YouGov survey also forecast defeat for SNP veteran Pete Wishart at the hands of the Conservatives in Perth & North Perthshire.
The survey for the Times suggested the SNP would fall from the 56 seats won in 2015 to 47 in June, with the Tories going from one to eight, and the LibDems from one to three.
Labour are forecast to stay on one seat, with Ian Murray clinging on in Edinburgh South.
A Panelbase poll last weekend also suggested defeat for Mr Robertson, a close ally of Nicola Sturgeon and the strategist at the heart of the SNP’s success in recent years.
Although the SNP's Westminster leader is considered one of the best performers in the Commons, routinely skewering Theresa May at Prime Minister's Questions, his pro-EU stance is an issue in Moray, which was one of the most pro-Brexit parts of Scotland last year.
The SNP continue to poll strongly, but with a noticeable drop on the 50 per cent support seen in the last general election, and a decline in Ms Sturgeon’s personal approval ratings.
The survey was the latest to confirm strong support for the Scottish Conservatives under Ruth Davidson, with the party set to achieve its best Westminster result since the 11 MPs of 1992.
Scottish voting intention put the SNP on 41 per cent, the Tories on 28, Labour on 18, LibDems on seven, and the Greens and Ukip on three and two per cent respectively.
The poll also found views on independence unchanged from the 55-45 against of September 2014, and a majority of Scots opposed to Ms Sturgeon’s plan for a second referendum.
More than 1,000 people were surveyed between April 24 and 27.
Besides Mr Robertson and Mr Wishart, the poll also suggested the SNP would lose Aberdeen South, Dumfries & Galloway, Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk and East Renfrewshire to the Tories, who would also hold David Mundell’s Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale seat.
The Nationalists would also lose East Dumbartonshire, currently held by the former BBC journalist John Nicolson, to the LibDems, who would also pick up Edinburgh West, where former SNP MP Michelle Thomson is standing down amid a police and Crown probe.
The sole Scottish LibDem MP Alistair Carmichael would be safe in Orkney & Shetland.
Ms Davidson said: “This poll reveals Theresa May is more in touch with people in Scotland than Nicola Sturgeon. Last month, Alex Salmond, Angus Robertson and Nicola Sturgeon all arrogantly declared opposing a second referendum would stoke support for independence.
“In fact, most people in Scotland see the common sense in saying now is not the time for yet another divisive referendum campaign. The SNP should show some humility and take its unwanted plan for a referendum off the table immediately.”
SNP business manager Derek Mackay said the polls showed “more than ever, it is only the SNP who can win against an out-of-control Tory Party under Theresa May.
"A Tory vote in this election will do real harm to households in Scotland, with more cuts to public spending, cuts to household budget, and no protection for pensioners.
"Electing SNP MPs in June is the only way to give Scotland a strong voice against the Tories and underline the right of the Scottish Parliament to determine Scotland's future."
Labour campaign manager James Kelly said: “This is yet another poll that shows people in Scotland do not want another divisive referendum and they don't want to leave the UK. It's time for the Nationalists to focus on the job of governing - like dealing with the crisis in our schools and tackling the problems in the NHS after a decade of SNP mismanagement.”
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