Scottish voters favour Kate Forbes to succeed Humza Yousaf as SNP leader and First Minister, a new poll has found.
But the survey by Ipsos Mori revealed that SNP voters would prefer John Swinney to succeed Humza Yousaf in the roles.
The findings will create a dilemma for SNP members when they come decide on who to choose as their next party leader should both politicians decide to run.
Nominations have opened in the contest with both Mr Swinney and Ms Forbes being urged to stand by rival camps of supporters.
Both senior backbenchers are considering whether to put their hats into the ring.
The poll by Ipsos, conducted today and yesterday, found that when the public were asked who would make the best First Minister out of a list of possible SNP candidates, Ms Forbes has a six-point lead over John Swinney.
Setting out its results tonight the pollster stated: "26% of the public say Kate Forbes would make the best First Minister, while 20% say Swinney would be best.
"But SNP voters are again more likely to prefer Swinney, with 30% saying he would make the best First Minister, compared with 21% who say the same of Kate Forbes and 14% who think Stephen Flynn would be the best First Minister."
Ms Forbes faced a similar battle last year by largely being ahead of Mr Yousaf with the general public but behind among SNP supporters.
Emily Gray, Managing Director of Ipsos in Scotland, commented: “These new results taken after Humza Yousaf’s resignation indicate that John Swinney would be a more popular choice among SNP voters to replace him as First Minister than Kate Forbes would be.
"However, Forbes has a 7-point lead over Swinney when it comes to who the wider public think would make the best First Minister. The SNP will be looking to select a leader who can unite the party, secure cooperation from opposition parties so that laws and budgets can be passed and reverse the party’s slide in the polls. While Swinney may be better placed than Forbes to address the first two of those, on the third point the evidence suggests that Forbes may currently have wider appeal among the electorate than Swinney does.”
Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,127 adults aged 16+ in Scotland. Interviews were conducted online on 29th and 30th April 2024.
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