VOTING Conservative in Scotland’s biggest city at the next election will be a “wasted vote”, according to a top polling expert.
Professor John Curtice, of Strathclyde University, challenged the Scottish Tories’ claim that a vote for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK would aid the SNP.
He told The National: “The bad news for Mr Findlay is that, given the current polls, the Conservatives are just not going to get represented in Glasgow, they’re too far behind.
“I’m afraid the riposte would be: In Glasgow, at least, it looks like a Conservative vote would be a wasted vote.”
Curtice predicted that Reform would pick up two seats in Glasgow at the next Scottish Parliament elections – which would be a major boost for the party and a blow to the city’s “progressive” self-image and reputation.
But it is “impossible” to say exactly who Reform will take votes from, Curtice (above) said, because there are “too many moving parts”.
He pointed to the “unpopularity” of the SNP, Labour and the Tories, adding: “This becomes the fundamental question about politics: Where will voters go?”
Reform are currently underperforming in Scotland, according to Curtice, given they are polling at nearly 20% across the UK.
In Wales, where the party launched its General Election manifesto earlier this year, the party recently came ahead of the Conservatives and on a par with Labour in an “unprecedented” opinion poll, where Plaid Cymru came first place.
