VOTERS in Scotland and England approve of Nicola Sturgeon’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic more than Boris Johnson’s, a new poll has shown.

A Panelbase survey, commissioned by Business for Scotland, asked 1026 respondents how well the First Minister and Prime Minister had handled the crisis.

Some 74% of Scots felt the SNP leader had done a good job – while 49% of people in England agreed. Just 21% of Scots felt she had done a bad job, while 18% of people in England said the same.

Meanwhile a tiny 12% of Scots think Johnson has handled the pandemic well. South of the border, that figure is 42%.

READ MORE: EU: 63% of Scots want to rejoin, Panelbase poll finds

Here in Scotland 61% say the Tory leader has handled the crisis poorly. However in England people are more evenly split, with 39% of respondents there saying he has done a bad job.

The study follows a succession of polls indicating Sturgeon’s approval ratings have increased during the pandemic, while Johnson’s have fallen sharply. It also comes after two consecutive polls placing support for independence at 54%.

Writing on the results, Business For Scotland said: “The First Minister’s humanity and obvious care for the wellbeing of the nation is allowing those voters who have other issues with Westminster’s obsession with Brexit and their right-wing economic policies to believe that the Scottish Government is a safer pair of hands in a time of crisis.

“That leads to increased belief in the overall competence of the Scottish Government and makes it easier to switch to Yes.”

The body argues that the First Minister’s performance during the crisis is not the sole reason for that increase in support. The Brexit issue is a huge factor too, while economic concerns and Westminster’s rejection of a Section 30 order appear to play a role.

Business for Scotland also polled people in England and Scotland on their views on rejoining the EU.

They found 63% of Scots would vote to rejoin the bloc if given the option in a referendum – a slightly higher majority than the 62% that voted to Remain in 2016.

Meanwhile the poll found people in England would vote to stay out of the EU by 52% to 48%.