NEARLY 60% of Scots do not have opinion on Labour leader Richard Leonard, according to a new poll.
The snapshot also gave him a net favourability rating of minus 28, compared to SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon having a rating of plus 36.
Leonard has been Scottish Labour for nearly three years, but his time in charge has been marked by electoral disappointments.
His party slumped to fifth place at the European election and lost six of their seven Westminster seats at the general election.
The struggles led to Labour peer Lord Foulkes arguing that Leonard would be putting his party first if he quit.
TV legend Archie Macpherson, a high profile Labour backer, said “invisible” Leonard was leading a “nostalgic cult” and also called for him to go.
Between July 28th and 30th, YouGov surveyed the views of 1,134 Scottish adults on political leaders north of the border.
Over half of those polled, 56%, said they did not have an opinion on Leonard. This amounted to 42% of men and 69% of women.
His overall net favourability with his own voters was also in negative territory at minus 14.
Sturgeon’s positive numbers were bolstered by 96% of SNP voters taking a favourable view of her.
Nearly half of those polled, 48%, were unable to form an opinion on outgoing Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw, with 42% saying they had an unfavourable view.
A Scottish Labour source said: "Richard Leonard’s consistent scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s scandalous handling of social care has just yesterday resulted in the Scottish Government committing, after multiple evasions, to a human rights based public inquiry. With the Tories in disarray once again, Scottish Labour is united in advocating our better alternative for a post-COVID Scotland.
"Leaders globally have received a boost from the pandemic, so it's no surprise that the First Minister, who is given an hour on the national broadcaster every day, is enjoying a poll boost at the expense of other party leaders."
