It was hoped that Kezia Dugdale’s popularity would rise with her profile, but the opposite appears to have happened

Scots think that Ruth Davidson would be the best leader of the opposition at Holyrood but they do not plan to vote her into the job, a poll for The Times has found.

Research from YouGov shows that the Scottish Conservative leader is seen as a more suitable candidate for the post than Kezia Dugdale, her Scottish Labour counterpart.

A third of voters think that Ms Davidson would be a better leader of the opposition than Ms Dugdale. Fewer than a fifth say the opposite.

Scots believe that Ms Davidson is the more genuine, competent and trustworthy of the two, and that she would be better at holding the SNP to account. They also think the Tory leader has a greater desire to win than