A new polled has revealed that nearly half of UK citizens believe Scotland's handling of the coronavirus crisis trumps England's.

It comes just as it was revealed England has the world's highest Covid-19 mortality rate, and as Scotland begins its gradual easing of lockdown restrictions.

The poll by YouGov revealed most people in Britain think First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the right decision to tighten the rules in Scotland just as Boris Johnson eased restrictions down south.

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The survey of 2883 adults asked the question: “Which country do you think has handled the coronavirus outbreak better between England and Scotland?”

Almost half of UK citizens – 44% – believe the Scottish Government had handled the crisis well.

The Herald: Source: YouGovSource: YouGov

Just 14% responded in favour of Westminster over Holyrood, with a quarter (25%) believing both nations had approached the pandemic in a similar way.

17% said they were unsure.

Of those who polled in favour of Scotland, 68% were based in the country, while 48% were based in London. Only 13% of those surveyed in London supported Johnson’s approach, while just 7% of Scots supported the Tories’ strategy.

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Meanwhile another YouGov poll, which was conducted on the same day, showed a majority did not ‘strongly support’ Johnson’s rule that groups of six people can meet in gardens and parks in England from Monday.

Of the 2883 people questioned, just 26% said they strongly supported the new rule, while 40% said they “somewhat support” it. A further 9% said they strongly opposed the move.