Poll shows nationalists could oust Scottish Labour leader

Jim Murphy is in danger of losing his seat to the SNP, the latest polling by Lord Ashcroft, the former Conservative party chairman, has shown.

Labour’s leader in Scotland is 10 points behind SNP in East Renfrewshire – 38 to 28 – the poll shows.

Other casualties of the nationalists could include Labour campaign chief Douglas Alexander, whcih the polls suggests could be defeated by SNP by 50 per cent to 39 per cent in Paisley & Renfrewshire South.

Lord Ashcroft has polled eight seats, including five he has polled before (East Renfrewshire; Glasgow South West; Paisley & Renfrewshire South; Ross, Skye & Lochaber, and Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale) and three new ones (Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk; East Dunbartonshire and North East Fife).

In the three Labour seats, the SNP are further ahead than when they were polled earlier in the year, extendeding their lead from three to 21 points in Glasgow South West, and from eight to 11 points in Douglas Alexander’s seat of Paisley & Renfrewshire South.

In East Renfrewshire, a one-point Labour lead has become nine-points, here Mr Murphy may need to rely on the Tories to tactically vote and keep him in at the expense of the nationalists. The polling also shows that Lib Dem minister Jo Swinson is also vulnerable with the SNP leading by 11 points.