Scotland is poised to elect an MEP from Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party as voters abandon the Scottish Conservatives, according to a poll for The Times.

Ruth Davidson’s party faces losing its only representative in the Strasbourg parliament, analysis of the research by YouGov found, as nearly 40 per cent of voters who backed the Scottish Tories two years ago switch to Mr Farage’s new group.

The survey, the first to be conducted after Nicola Sturgeon announced her intention to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence, also found increased support for secession, with 49 per cent of Scots preparing to vote Yes, compared to 45 per cent in YouGov’s last poll for this newspaper in June.

The research suggests that the SNP is on