55 per cent of Scots are in favour of the prime minister stepping down
- Snap YouGov poll finds that a majority of both Scottish and UK voters believe that Boris Johnson should resign as prime minister
- Poll follows calls for Johnson’s resignation from Nicola Sturgeon and Jeremy Corbyn
- Johnson rebuffs calls for him to step down, while US President Donald Trump claims: “He’s not going anywhere”
A MAJORITY of Scots believe that Boris Johnson must resign as prime minister, according to a snap YouGov poll conducted following the Supreme Court’s unanimous verdict that his controversial five-week suspension of the UK Parliament was unlawful.
According to the poll’s findings, when asked if they agreed Johnson should resign, 55 per cent of those polled in Scotland said that he should, while 26 per cent said that he should not. Across the UK, a slimmer majority – 43 per cent – were in favour of Johnson resigning, while 39 per cent were opposed.
The poll’s findings follow First Minister Nicola Sturgeon address to Holyrood on 24 September, in which she also called for the prime minister’s resignation, and expressed her support for opposition parties uniting in a vote of no confidence to force a general election as soon as the possibility of a No Deal Brexit had been avoided.
Sturgeon told MSPs yesterday: “It is of course possible for a prime minister to continue in office if they are unpopular. It is even possible for a prime minister to survive in office if they are not competent.
“But no prime minister should believe they can act with impunity and remain in office when they have acted unlawfully in the manner and in the circumstances set out so clearly by the Supreme Court today.”
UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP has called upon Johnson to step down, telling the Labour Party conference in Brighton that the prime minister “has been found to have misled the country.”
Responding to the YouGov poll, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford MP argued that Johnson’s position is untenable.
Blackford said: “This YouGov poll is yet another nail in the coffin of Boris Johnson’s premiership.
“His decision to shut down Parliament in an attempt to force through an extreme Tory Brexit did not stand up in court and it’s clear it will not wash with people across Scotland and the UK – with an overwhelming majority agreeing he should resign.
“His decision to shut down Parliament in an attempt to force through an extreme Tory Brexit did not stand up in court and it’s clear it will not wash with people across Scotland and the UK.” SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford
“Boris Johnson’s short premiership has been dogged with Parliamentary defeats, defections and disaster. He has no authority or credibility – if he has a shred of respect left for the office he holds then he should resign immediately.
“People in Scotland are looking on in horror at the chaos consuming Westminster. Scotland deserves the choice of a better future than the one being imposed upon it.
“It’s clearer than ever that the only way to properly protect Scotland’s interests is to become an independent country.”
Johnson has so far rebuffed calls for him to step down. Appearing alongside US President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly, the prime minister commented: “As I said earlier on, let’s be absolutely clear that we respect the judiciary in our country and we respect the court. I disagree profoundly with what they had to say.”
The reporter who asked Johnson if he would resign was then rebuked by Trump, who described his query as a “nasty question”.
Trump said: “I’ll tell you, I know him well. He’s not going anywhere.”
Picture courtesy of Number 10
