The Scottish National Party’s popularity has soared despite the fact that public support for the party’s principal goal of independence has dropped to its lowest level in recent years.

An MRUK poll published last week found that if an election were to be held now the SNP would enjoy a considerable increase in the number of seats it has in Holyrood.

Around 70 per cent of Scots surveyed thought that the First Minister, Alex Salmond, was doing a good job.

The poll found Mr Salmond’s popularity ratings to be at plus 53 points while his opponent, the Scottish Labour Party leader Wendy Alexander’s, ratings were at a low of negative 22.

The poll signalled good news for the SNP, demonstrating that the honeymoon for the new administration is far from over despite nearly a year in government.

As Ivor Knox of polling agency MRUK said: “The first 10 months of SNP administration has clearly strengthened its support.”

However, observers have remarked that the party of Scottish independence should be doing so well when support for independence itself is low, at only 23 per cent.

One suggested reason for this is public discontent with the SNP's major rival, the Scottish Labour Party. The Labour leader, Wendy Alexander, has been damaged by scandal, which errupted last November, involving illegal donations to her leadership campaign.

The poll, which surveyed over 1000 adults across Scotland between February and March, found that 40 per cent were less likely to support Labour because of the recent controversy surrounding Ms Alexander and a quarter thought she should resign over the issue.

The Scottish Labour Party also faces problems from within, with party membership dropping by around a quarter since 2002, positioning the SNP to overtake Labour as Scotland’s largest party in the near future.

The Scotsman has reported that party sources described membership as "haemorrhaging." The same party sources blame this not only on Scottish Labour’s performance but also on Labour’s Westminster record and the war in Iraq.

This is supported by a recent YouGov poll which shows UK wide support for the Labour Party to be 16 points behind the Tories, creating the widest margin in 21 years.

Nonetheless, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has blamed Scottish Labour MSPs for their party's difficulties, arguing that the Scottish Labour Party “have got every single aspect of opposition wrong.”

Describing recent poll ratings as "fantastic" for the SNP, Ms Sturgeon said: “The poll shows that our fast pace of delivery continues to gain the trust of the people with sky high approval ratings under the leadership of Alex Salmond."