Huge numbers of voters who cast their ballots in the independence referendum do not plan to vote in May's General Election, according to a new poll.

 

The survey suggests the contest to win the keys to Downing Street is turning off voters and turnout could slump dramatically from the 85 per cent seen last September.

It had highest turnout at any election in the UK since the 1950 General Election.

However, only 64 per cent of Scots asked say they are certain to vote on May 7, around the same level as in the last general election five years ago.

That represents a decrease of around 750,000 adults casting a vote, a figure which could significantly affect an election with an unusually Scottish dimension, given the rise of the SNP and Labour's apparent problems north of the border. 

It places additional pressure on all the parties on getting out their vote come May.

Tom Costley, head of TNS Scotland, which carried out the survey said: "It would appear that the high level of turnout for the independence referendum is not going to be replicated."

The poll also suggests some good news for Labour, which has been trailing the SNP in the opinion polls in recent months.

TNS puts the gap between the two parties at 10 percentage points, slightly less than has been recorded in some other polls.

Among those certain to vote, after 'don't knows' were removed, the SNP polled 41 per cent, Labour 31 per cent, the Conservatives 16 per cent, the Greens 6 per cent, the Liberal Democrats 4 per cent and UKIP 2 per cent.

But one in four adults - and one in four of all those certain to vote - have yet to make up their mind who they will support.

Just 8 per cent of voters say they are more likely to vote Labour after Jim Murphy's appointment as leader, with 8 per cent saying they are less likely and 77 per cent saying it makes no difference.

Labour will today launch a new attack on the Conservatives - painting the Tories as a threat to living standards and the economy and warning that May 7 is the "day to end Tory rule in Scotland" in a document that fails to mention the SNP.

A spokesman for Scottish Labour said: "These polls show that Scottish Labour is still behind and has a gap to close.

"But in the end the only people who will benefit from these polls are David Cameron and the Tories.

"The more seats the SNP get from Labour, the more likely it is the Tories will be the biggest party and David Cameron will get into government through the back door. "

SNP General Election campaign director Angus Robertson, whose party has suggested it could prop up a Labour government at Westminster as long as certain demands were met, including the scrapping of Trident, said: "By electing SNP MPs, the people of Scotland can vote to get rid of the Tories, protect the welfare of everyone who lives here, and promote progressive politics across the UK."

He added that the poll results would be a "major blow" to Mr Murphy and the Labour leadership.

The survey also showed that support for all parties is evenly split between the genders, another contrast with the independence referendum where polls before the vote suggested that women were less likely to vote Yes.

Another poll, by former Tory treasurer Lord Ashcroft has the Tories three points ahead of Labour across the UK - the biggest margin for almost a month.

The poll put the Tories on 34 per cent (up three points since last week), Labour on 31 per cent (unchanged), Ukip on 14 per cent (down one), Lib Dems on 9 per cent (up one), Greens on 6 per cent (down three) and the SNP on 4 per cent (unchanged).

The TNS poll questioned 1,006 adults aged 18 and over across Scotland between Jan 14 and February 2.

The Ashcroft National Poll questioned 1,003 voters on February 6-8.