Our Politics newsletter is now daily. Join thousands of others and get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

KEZIA Dugdale has 48 hours to convince undecided Scots to vote Labour after a new poll showed her party still deadlocked with the Tories in the Holyrood race.

A special phone survey for the Daily Record confirmed Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP are on course for another historic majority at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday.

But the fight for second place has become the main contest in an election the SNP are certain to win, barring a major upset over the next two days.

READ MORE:

Labour and the Tories have both gained support since our last poll ten days ago and are neck-and-neck in the bitter battle.

It means the 16% of voters who are still undecided will determine whether Scots Labour leader Dugdale faces the humiliation of losing to the Tories.

Polling expert Professor John Curtice said: “The race for second place is now officially too close to call.”

Tory leader Ruth Davidson has made a direct pitch to Labour supporters who voted No in the referendum by claiming she will do a better job holding Sturgeon to account.

And the poll makes clear the Tory leader was right to bank on the constitutional question remaining the defining faultline in Scottish politics.

It shows 86% of Yes voters will back the SNP in the constituency ballot on Thursday.

READ MORE:

But the unionist vote is split three ways - 36% of No voters plan to back the Tories, 34% Labour and 11% the Lib Dems.

Pollsters Survation called voters across Scotland over the last two days to get the most accurate and up-to-date snapshot of how we will vote.

They found Labour is two points ahead of the Tories in the constituency vote by 21% to 19%.

But its a different story on the regional list, where Labour are on 19% and the Tories on 20%.

The regional vote will be more important for both parties in terms of electing MSPs as the SNP is expected to win almost every constituency.

When the numbers are crunched through Scotland’s complex voting system, the Tories could come out on top with 24 seats to Labour’s 23.

The calculations by Weber Shandwick’s Scotland Votes tool would see the SNP matching the 69 seats they won in their 2011 historic victory.

READ MORE:

Nicola Sturgeon’s party are on 49 per cent in the constituencies and 43 per cent in the regions.

The Lib Dems are polling 7% in both ballots, which would see them upping their number of MSPs from five to six.

The Greens are on 7 per cent, which would nudge them ahead of the Lib Dems and up to seven seats.

Labour last night insisted they are fighting for every vote as the election enters the home straight.

“If people want change, if they want to stop the cuts so we can invest in the future of our economy then they need to give both their votes to Labour on Thursday,” a spokesperson said.

But a Tory spokesman insisted: “This poll shows that, with less 48 hours of the campaign to go, we are gaining momentum. We are now going to work even harder to show how Ruth Davidson can provide the strong opposition to the SNP which Scotland needs.”

Deputy First Minister John Swinney last night welcomed the findings.

(Image: PA/Andrew Milligan)

He said: “Thursday’s vote is about who is most able to deliver for everyone who lives and works here. Only the SNP has the unity, the ideas and the leadership to keep Scotland moving forward. Only by casting both votes SNP can people be sure to re-elect Nicola Sturgeon First Minister.”

A Scottish Greens spokesman said: “The polling trend is positive and we are working hard to win every crucial regional vote to bring new voices into Holyrood to champion bold ideas.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: “People are considering voting Liberal Democrat for the first time based on our bold and positive programme for Scotland. We are clearly broadening our support and Liberal Democrats will grow at this election.”

Survation interviewed 1024 Scots aged over 16 over the phone on May 1 and 2.