Rent controls could decide election results in Scotland, affecting results at Westminster, says a new poll commissioned by campaign group Generation Rent.

According to the poll, 25% of Scots would be more like to vote for a party that had rent controls in its manifesto.

Only 5% of Scots said they would be less like to vote for a party with rent controls as a policy.

The survey found rent controls most popular with supporters of Labour (27%) and SNP (26%). It also found rent controls to be popular with those who voted Yes in last year’s independence referendum (27%).

Alex Hilton, director of Generation Rent, said: “Private renters find themselves increasingly financially squeezed and will turn to a party that can leave them with more money at the end of the month.
“Renting is a swing issue: there are votes to be won in promising to cut costs for renters and very few to lose.

“If Labour adopted rent control they could avoid meltdown in Scotland, putting them back in the game in Westminster.”

However, according to other research, it looks as though Labour is in meltdown in Scotland.

According to research by Lord Ashcroft, the SNP is ahead in 13 out of 14 Labour seats, including those that had huge majorities at the last election. Out of 16 constituencies surveyed, the SNP was ahead in 15.

According to a YouGov poll reported this week in The Times, the SNP will pick up 30 seats, while Professor Richard Rose, of Strathclyde University, believes that the number of SNP MPs at Westminster will soar from six to 45.

He is forecasting another hung parliament with the Conservatives as the largest party – making it very unclear as to would could happen with rent control policies.