MORE than half of people in Scotland think that the Downing Street “partygate” saga has hurt the case for the Union, according to a new poll today.

The research, carried out for the Scotsman, also found that almost four in five respondents think that Prime Minister Boris Johnson should resign over the allegations of coronavirus rule-breaking parties.

The survey of 1,004 Scots asked to what extent the alleged parties in Downing Street have hurt the case for the Union, with 54 per cent saying they have hurt it either a lot or a little.

More than a third (35 per cent) said that the claims have either not really hurt it or not hurt it at all, while 11 per cent said they did not know.

The survey was carried out between January 14 and 18, after allegations emerged on January 13 that a party took place at Downing Street on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.

But support for Scottish independence remains split down the middle despite the partygate allegations.

Asked how they would vote if a referendum on Scottish independence was held tomorrow, half said they would vote yes to independence — two points higher than in October — and the other half saying they would back no.

The poll was carried out by Savanta ComRes for the Scotsman and questioned people aged 16 and over.

Savanta ComRes political research director Chris Hopkins said: “A 50/50 split on the independence voting intention does represent a bit of shift towards yes since our last poll in October.

“But ultimately, given the disaster the UK government in Westminster is currently experiencing, one would perhaps expect support for independence to be higher.”