Poll: Andy Burnham now most popular political leader in Scotland

Poll: Andy Burnham now most popular political leader in Scotland.

Key points

• The Prime Minister enjoys a positive net favourability rating, but this has yet to translate into rose backing for Labour.
• Nevertheless, despite this, Scottish Labour remains some distance behind the SNP in voting intention, with little evidence Labour's improved polling elsewhere in Britain has been replicated in Scotland.
• The survey additionally suggests there is limited public engagement with the ongoing Scottish Labour leadership contest.

Poll: Andy Burnham now most popular political leader in Scotland. Published 27th Aug 2026, 06: 00 BST.

For context, the Prime Minister enjoys a positive net favourability rating, but this has yet to translate into rose backing for Labour.

Andy Burnham has rapidly become the most popular major political leader in Scotland, a new poll has identified, but his arrival in Downing Street has yet to translate into rose backing for Labour north of the Border.

Polling published on Thursday by Edinburgh-based research agency Diffley Partnership, conducted using a Survation online panel, identified the Prime Minister is the only major political figure with a positive net favourability rating among Scottish voters.

Notably, the survey additionally suggests there is limited public engagement with the ongoing Scottish Labour leadership contest. Almost half of voters agreed that who leads the party makes little difference to Scotland.

Taken together, the developments around poll: Andy Burnham now most popular political leader in Scotland point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.