Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation as SNP leader and Scottish First Minister in February (Image: GETTY)
Humza Yousaf is "nothing like as popular" with voters as Nicola Sturgeon, a leader pollster has said.
Professor Sir John Curtice said Ms Sturgeon's "fateful decision" in February to step down as SNP leader and first minister has had "quite substantial political consequences" for her party.
The polling expert, who is professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde and a senior research fellow at the National Centre for Social Research, said some independence supporters are now switching to Labour and the public are "now much more likely to think the SNP are divided".
Sir John said the next general election could see "radical change south of the border" with victory for Sir Keir Starmer.
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He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "North of the border, also we could see Labour making significant progress and thereby increasing Labour's chances of being able to get an overall majority at Westminster."
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The polling expert said the SNP had found itself "challenged for the position of Scotland's most popular party in a way they have not really been since they first entered power at Holyrood in 2007, or indeed became Scotland's dominant party at Westminster at the 2015 general election".
Sir John said support for the SNP was at around 43 per cent in the opinion polls when Ms Sturgeon quit.
But he said it was now down to about 36 per cent and "only just" ahead of Labour.
Sir John said: "The SNP now finds itself with a leader, Humza Yousaf, who is nothing like as popular as his predecessor.
Humza Yousaf is 'nothing like as popular' as Nicola Sturgeon, the pollster said (Image: GETTY)
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"People don't think he is doing the job as well as people thought Nicola Sturgeon was doing it, even towards the latter days of her role as first minister."
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Sir John said support for independence has not changed with around half of Scots backing breaking up the UK.
But he added: "The SNP are no longer dominating the support of those who are in favour of independence, some of them are now saying they're going to vote Labour, as illustrated by the Rutherglen by-election."
Labour's Michael Shanks won the Rutherglen seat in October with a swing of more than 20 per cent from the SNP.
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