LABOUR LEADER REMAINS THE "INVISIBLE MAN"

FEWER THAN 40% OF LABOUR VOTERS WANT “INVISIBLE MAN” FOR FIRST MINISTER

Labour leader Iain Gray has admitted that he has not connected with the public and the voters are not connecting with Labour as polling shows the SNP maintaining a lead in opinion polls and that fewer than 40% of Labour voters think Iain Gray would be a good First Minister.

In an interview with the Scotsman Gray accepts that people do not know who he is, despite having held the leadership of Labour for 12 months - ignoring the fact he was also a minister in the previous Scottish Executive.

His comments support recent polling by YouGov which showed First Minister Alex Salmond was three times as popular as all other Scottish party leaders combined and that Iain Gray was supported by only 12% of those polled – only 1% more than Scotland’s Conservative leader Annabel Goldie.

Even amongst Labour voters the poll shows fewer than 40% want Iain Gray to be First Minister.

In his interview Mr Gray states: “There’s no hiding the fact I need to raise my profile.”

Commenting on Iain Gray’s interview and the poll figures SNP MSP and Convener of the SNP group Gil Paterson said:

“Far from being new Iain Gray has had a year as Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament to get known and to win support. He also had four years as a Government Minister. If he cannot make his mark now, when will he?

“Instead of winning new voters fewer than 40% of his party’s voters want Iain Gray as First Minister.

“It will be deeply disturbing for Labour that their leader is Scotland’s invisible man.

“And as performances and polls in the last week have shown Iain Gray has failed to make a positive impact on Scottish politics. In contrast the Scottish Government has taken tough decisions and set out a forward thinking agenda for Scotland with the continued support of the Scottish people.

“Instead of carping from the sidelines Iain Gray might make more progress with a positive approach to the SNP Government and a willingness to give the Scottish public their constitutional say over Scotland’s future.

“It is a stark contrast for Labour to consider that after a year of Iain Gray’s negative efforts at leadership Alex Salmond’s ratings are three times higher than those of the Labour or Tory leaders in Scotland, and as a poll this weekend shows the SNP is maintaining an 8 point lead over
Labour in the Holyrood polls. "

POLLS SHOW SNP AHEAD OF LABOUR FOR WESTMINSTER

"QUADRUPLE WHAMMY" HITTING LABOUR SUPPORT

VOTERS BACK SNP DELIVERY

An updated analysis of results from the latest opinion polls over June and July – adding up to over 2,700 voters, and taking into account a YouGov poll and ComRes poll published on Sunday which both put the SNP ahead – shows the SNP leading Labour in votes for Westminster elections.

Added to the analysis which showed the SNP achieving increasing swings in local authority by-elections, is ahead in Holyrood opinion polls, and on the heels of the SNP’s European election success, it underlines that momentum is with the SNP as the party gears up for the Glasgow North East by-election.

The results of four election and poll analyses show the SNP;

- leading in Westminster opinion polls by 3% over Labour (a 12.5% swing from Labour to SNP from 2005)

- overtaking Labour in Last month’s European elections by 8% (7.5% swing from Labour to SNP since 2004)

- achieving a 5% lead over Labour across June’s local authority by-elections (a 7.3% swing from Labour to SNP from 2007)

- leading Holyrood opinion polls by 10% from Labour (4.5% swing from Labour to SNP from 2007)

Commenting SNP Business Convener Angus Robertson MP said:

"The SNP are working hard to earn people’s trust, and these excellent results show that the people of Scotland support the SNP’s record of delivery.

"There is no doubt that the Westminster election will be a two horse race in Scotland between the SNP and Labour.

“The overall results of all elections and polls are also a quadruple whammy for the SNP with a four way lead over Labour - in Europe, at local level, in Holyrood and at Westminster.

“The SNP have won the support of voters in the European elections and in by-elections across the country with a swing to the SNP in every single election and we are maintaining historic leads in the opinion polls for both Holyrood and Westminster.

“As we pass the midterm point of the first ever SNP Government, our continued and increasing support shows that the SNP are delivering on the priorities of the people of Scotland, while the UK Labour Government and Scottish Labour simply go into reverse.

“Labour has failed to take responsibility for the recession and refuse to face up to the reality of the £500 million of cuts they are forcing on Scotland’s public services.”

SNP Glasgow North East candidate David Kerr said:

"Instead of hiding away, the Labour party need to face voters and call the by-election immediately - it is totally unacceptable for the people of Glasgow North East to be left without an MP for four more months."

UKIP explains the confusion in the opinion polls.

Looking through the press, watching and listening to the broadcast media, there seems to be a certain confusion about what the opinion polls mean.

Yes, the three main Westminster parties are losing support. Yes, that support is going elsewhere.

But it isn't going to the BNP. They're flatlining on 4 and 5%. That's not enough to win them any seats at all. The support is going to us in UKIP. Given the variations in polls we're on anything from 15 to 19%, neatly matching the fall in support for the Lib Dem, Labour and Tory parties.

If you'd prefer this to come from a slightly less partisan source how about Anthony Wells of BPIX (and the "Polling Report" blog):

'The European results are also fascinating. The rise in support for UKIP over the past week suggests that people have followed Norman Tebbit's advice to punish the three main parties, and UKIP is the socially acceptable way to do so.

By contrast, the figures for the British National Party are stuck on about five per cent.'

That's what we think the story is. That there's a revulsion against both the professional political class and the racists and fascists of the BNP, which is why the UKIP vote is rising so strongly.

As Nigel Farage, UKIP leader, has been saying for some weeks, it's becoming ever more likely that Labour will come fourth in the euro elections.