A new YouGov poll has revealed that most people in Scotland believe the UK is in a deteriorating condition, with confidence in the country’s direction falling sharply since Keir Starmer took office.
The poll, published today, shows that 86% of people in Scotland and 82% across Britain think the UK is currently in a ‘bad state’.
That figure is up two points since May 2024.
Even more striking, six in ten respondents (60%) now believe the UK will get worse over the next 12 months, a jump of 21 percentage points compared to last year.
The survey also shows long-term pessimism: three quarters (75%) of respondents believe the UK is in a worse position than it was ten years ago.
Nearly half (48%) think the UK is performing worse than other Western nations, an increase of 5% on 2024.
SNP Westminster Deputy Leader Pete Wishart MP said the findings confirm the growing public distrust in Starmer’s government and the deepening damage from Brexit.
“Brexit Britain is broken and this poll shows voters have lost trust in Keir Starmer to fix it after a year of broken promises and further decline,” he said.
“We were promised things would get better but instead they are getting even worse.
“Under the Labour Party, energy and food bills are rising, unemployment is at a four-year high, public finances have deteriorated, and the UK economy is stuck in the doldrums.”
Wishart also pointed to the looming threat of further austerity, warning that the Chancellor’s upcoming plans could deliver “billions of pounds more austerity cuts and tax hikes.”
He added:
“The SNP will continue to deliver the best cost of living support anywhere in the UK, and do everything we can to protect families from Labour Party cuts.
“But it is only with the full powers of independence that we can secure the best possible future for Scotland.”
