A new YouGov poll has found that Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf’s popularity has nosedived since the introduction of the ridiculous hate crime law that caused police to receive over 8,000 reports in one week.
The Telegraph reports that Yousaf now has an approval rating of minus 32, equating to a 15-point drop since the beginning of the year.
The report notes that even among people who voted for his party, more believe he is doing a poor job than those who think he is doing well.
📉 Humza Yousaf’s popularity with Scottish voters has plummeted following the introduction of his new hate crime laws, a new poll has revealedhttps://t.co/0nyft85KBf
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 14, 2024
Just 29 percent of Scottish National Party voters believe Yousaf is doing a good job, while 36 percent think he has been poor in office.
Consequently, Yousaf’s popularity among his own voters is now minus seven, down from plus 14 in January, a massive drop.
The leading pollster, Sir John Curtice, commented that the results showed that the First Minister is “deeply and increasingly unpopular”.
It seems that JK Rowling was right when she predicted that Yousaf would “get his richly deserved comeuppance” when Scottish people vote.
Yousaf also now faces increased calls among Scottish Conservatives to hold a vote that would repeal the “disastrous” law, as police cannot cope with the increased workload.
🔵 Humza Yousaf faces Tory vote to repeal hate crime law https://t.co/ICFfjlzeSr
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 15, 2024
The 8,000 hate crime reports in the first week vastly outnumber all other weekly reports of significant crimes combined, including assault, vandalism and drug possession.
The initial 8,000 complaints are also more than the annual total of all hate crime reports for all previous years.
Calum Steele, the former general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, commented that officers “are genuinely embarrassed. They feel that the service and, by extension [they] as individual police officers will catch some of the public brunt.”