Over 40% of Scots believe the Tories are planning to supplant devolved powers after Brexit, a new poll revealed.

A new Survnation poll has revealed that nearly half of all Scots believe the Tories are about to launch a ‘power grab’ on Holyrood, following Brexit.

Scottish National Party (SNP) membership figures have swollen since the EU Withdrawal Bill passed in Parliament last month, with a reported 7,500 people joining the party in June.

The Tories have argued that of the 153 powers covering devolved areas, 24 must initially be run from Westminster.

The party’s deputy leader, Keith Brown MSP, said:

“The Tories think they can do whatever they want to Scotland and get away with it. But this poll shows more and more people across Scotland see their planned power grab over Holyrood for what it is.”

The Daily Record, who commissioned the survey, published another poll last week, showing that support for the SNP has grown by 38%, with the Tories and Labour lagging in Scotland. A general election could see the Scottish independentist party go from 35 to 39 seats in Westminster.

Brown added:

“The arrogance of the Tories to think they can rip up the devolution settlement and transfer powers to Westminster is getting short shrift from voters. People trust the SNP to stand up for Scotland in the face of Tory belligerence – that’s why our support is growing while the Tory vote is well and truly on the slide.”

SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stood as the most popular politician in the paper’s survey with 40%, with Prime Minister Theresa May ranking as 57% “unfavourable”.

The poll also suggested that support for Scottish independence is back on the rise.

The figures are the latest blow to an increasingly precariously positions PM, as Tory infighting and the Cabinet’s Brexit position has meant a slide down ratings for the government across the country.

Joana Ramiro is a reporter for Left Foot Forward. You can follow her on Twitter for all sorts of rants here.

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