New polling: Burnham most popular political leader in Scotland, but no Labour bounce north of the border

New polling conducted by Diffley Partnership using the Survation online panel finds that Prime Minister Andy Burnham has become the most popular major political leader in Scotland, but his personal popularity has yet to translate into increased support for Scottish Labour.

The survey of 2,036 Scottish voters found that Burnham is the only political leader tested to record a positive net favourability rating. Some 37% of Scots view him favourably compared with 28% unfavourably, giving him a net rating of +9.

Despite these positive ratings, Scottish Labour remains well behind the SNP in Westminster voting intention. The SNP leads on 34%, with Labour on 19% and Reform UK on 18%. Labour’s support is unchanged from Survation’s previous Scotland poll in April, suggesting there is currently little evidence of a “Burnham bounce” among Scottish voters.

The poll also looked at awareness of the Scottish Labour leadership contest. Just 4% of voters say they’ve heard “a great deal” about it and 22% say they’ve heard nothing at all.

More than half of voters (55%) don’t know who would make the best leader, 56% think the contest is mainly of interest to Labour supporters, and almost half (48%) agree that who leads Scottish Labour makes little difference to Scotland. Only three in ten (29%) think that the next Scottish Labour leader could realistically become the next First Minister of Scotland.

Commenting on the findings, Diffley Partnership Founder and Director Mark Diffley said:

“Andy Burnham has made a good early impression on Scottish voters. He is the only political leader tested in this survey to record a positive favourability rating and is viewed as the best option for Prime Minister by a clear plurality of voters.”

“However, the polling also suggests that Burnham’s personal popularity has not yet translated into additional support for Scottish Labour. While Labour has seen some encouraging signs elsewhere in Britain, the party’s position in Scotland appears largely unchanged, with the SNP continuing to hold a substantial lead.”

“The findings also point to a significant challenge for whoever becomes the next Scottish Labour leader. Public awareness of the contest remains low, most voters say they have heard little about it, and many are unconvinced that the outcome will have a major impact on Scottish politics.”

“While Andy Burnham appears to have succeeded in improving Labour’s image, there is little evidence so far of a corresponding ‘Burnham bounce’ in Scotland. Turning personal popularity into votes, and rebuilding Labour’s competitiveness in Scottish politics, remains a significant challenge.”

The full press release, topline and tables are available to download below.

Diffley x Survation – Scotland Poll – Data Tables – Survation – August 2026

Diffley Partnership- August 2026 Polling- Topline

Diffley Partnership- August 2026 Polling- Press Release FINAL