Nicola Sturgeon's popularity among Scots has plummeted in the months since she quit Bute House, a poll has suggested.
The former SNP leader's net favourability rating has dropped below zero for the first time - meaning more voters have a negative view of her than a positive one.
Sturgeon was questioned by police for several hours last weekend in connection to an on-going police investigation into how her party spent more than £600,000 of donations intended for an IndyRef2 campaign.
Pollsters Savanta said it was the first time Sturgeon had not been recorded as the most popular politician in Scotland in one of their surveys.
She enjoyed a +28 favourability rating as recently as December 2020 when a majority of Scots backed her handling of the government response to the covid pandemic.
But the latest poll - carried out the same weekend of Sturgeon's arrest - saw her favourability rating drop to -7.
Kate Forbes (+2), Anas Sarwar (-1) and Keir Starmer (-3) all have higher ratings.
Humza Yousaf is on -10 - a two-point increase since March.
But the new First Minister will be relieved the SNP remains out in front when it comes to how Scots plan to vote at the next UK general election.
The gap between the SNP and Labour is down to just four points, with Yousaf's party on 38 per cent, down one point from the last poll in March, and Scottish Labour on 34 per cent, up by one.
Scots remain split down the middle on the issue of independence - with Yes up one point to 49 per cent, and No down one to 51 per cent.
Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta, said: "How the mighty have fallen.
"Nicola Sturgeon’s net favourability rating was +28; fast forward two and a half years, and it’s fallen to -7, the first time it’s been below zero, and the first time that she hasn’t been the most popular politician in Scotland.
“Although she’s no longer leader, one would expect these numbers to have an impact on the SNP’s polling, but it hasn’t.
"Perhaps, then, the damage has already been done.
"The unionists still sense an opportunity, and those parties combined would currently poll over 50 per cent, although we’re still a long way from the next Holyrood elections.
“Despite her personal controversy and ratings drop the SNP marches on without Sturgeon.
"But what of independence? It always seemed that Sturgeon was so integral to her party and the cause, but Scotland is now so fiercely entrenched by Yes versus No, it goes far beyond one leader, and even one party.
"The independence question remains finely balanced, too close to call were a referendum tomorrow, and therefore there’s still a job to be done for those in the pro-independence camp, with or without Sturgeon as an asset.”
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