Pro-independence supporters helped deliver Holyrood election drubbing for Scottish Labour

Scottish Labour secured the support of a tiny proportion of pro-independence voters at the Holyrood election . Anas Sarwar’s party won 8% of people who backed Yes in 2014, worse than Reform UK did with this group of voters . Labour also did poorly with low-income Scots and voters who rent their homes . Sarwar fought the election to win, but ended up recording the worst Labour result in the history of devolution.

His party slumped to 19.2% in the constituencies and 16% on the regional lists, leading to the election of 17 MSPs. Pollsters YouGov have published a deep dive into the result and the findings show the long term challenges facing Scottish Labour. During the campaign, Sarwar dodged the question of Indyref2 by refusing to say what the trigger point would be for another referendum. YouGov’s data, which covered the List vote, showed Labour’s struggles with Yes voters.

Nearly half of pro-indy backers in the referendum from twelve years ago, 47%, voted SNP, with 15% opting for the Greens and 13% opting for Reform UK. Labour’s 8% return among this cohort was slightly ahead of the 6% won by the Lib Dems. The party's List vote across Scotland was consistent across every age group, with the party polling 16pc.

But the Greens hammered Labour in the 16-34 bracket, polling 33%, while Sarwar was behind the SNP, Reform and the Tories in the 65+ age group. Despite Labour’s traditional support among voters on low-incomes, they won 19% of people earning £70,000 or more, but only 14% of Scots earning less than £25%. Similarly, they won 17% of voters who owned their property outright, while only attracting 12% of social renters. Scottish Labour’s defeat was their fifth loss in a row to the SNP and the party has launched a review.

Questions for members include: “What does the rise of Reform UK mean for Scottish Labour’s voter coalition, campaigning strategy and political positioning?” “What does the increased representation of the Scottish Greens mean for Scottish Labour’s appeal to progressive, younger, urban, climate-conscious and pro-devolution or pro-independence voters?” Scottish Labour has been contacted.