The Tories are inching ahead of Labour as Nigel Farage starts to peel off Ed Miliband ’ s supporters . And English voters are so alarmed by the prospect of being ruled by Nicola Sturgeon with Miliband in her pocket that they would prefer to get rid of her – and Scotland – by giving the country independence after all . These are among the remarkable findings of a Survation poll for The Mail on Sunday which illustrates growing fears about the result of the most closely fought Election for decades . A Survation poll for the Mail on Sunday has shown a swing towards the Tories against Miliband 's Labour party . Fear of Nicola Sturgeon , pictured , among Labour voters in England is pushing them towards Nigel Farage . David Cameron , pictured , has surged ahead by three points in the polls going into the final stage of the election . The poll suggests David Cameron is pulling ahead of Labour . The Conservatives are on 33 points , followed by Labour on 30 , Ukip 18 and the Lib Dems 9 – the third Survation poll in a row to show a lead for the Tories . Intriguingly , there are signs that Labour , and not the Tories , is at risk from Farage ’ s Ukip . In the past three weeks , Ukip support has risen by five points , with a corresponding four-point fall in backing for Labour . Furthermore , the Tories could benefit from Ukip voters returning to them as a result of the ‘ Red Ed and Nicola the Nat ’ factor . Asked if they would consider voting Conservative to stop a Miliband-Sturgeon alliance running the country , nearly two in five Ukip supporters said yes , against one in two who said no . The new trends coincide with the huge impact of Scottish Nationalist leader Sturgeon on the campaign since the TV debates , in which she repeatedly squared up to Miliband . The poll offers Cameron hope that more Ukip supporters may be provoked into returning to the Tories as a result of the Sturgeon threat . The dip in Miliband ’ s popularity appears to reflect the belief that if he relied on Sturgeon to get his legislation approved by Parliament , she would hold the whip hand – even though her party would have only a fraction of the number of Labour MPs . More than half of those polled think Sturgeon would have the upper hand over Miliband , with fewer than three in ten saying the Labour leader would call the shots . The latest poll expressed concern over the possible influence Nicola Sturgeon would have over Ed Miliband . The poll also highlights the growing resentment among English voters at the thought of Scottish Nationalist MPs shaping laws in England on issues such as schools and hospitals , even though English MPs have no such power over these matters in Scotland . A third said that if the Election produced a Miliband-Sturgeon pact to run Britain , they would regard the result as ‘ illegitimate ’ . That bears out the stark warning made by Home Secretary Theresa May today of the danger of a backlash by English voters if the SNP is involved in the Government of the UK . A total of 37 per cent of those polled said they would regard such a result as legitimate . According to the poll , English people may decide they would rather Scotland was given independence than be ruled by Left-wing Scottish Nationalists in harness with Labour . In the event of Miliband and Sturgeon forming some kind of ruling pact , more than 40 per cent said they would prefer Scotland to be independent . A third disagreed . In effect , it could lead to England and Wales declaring independence from Scotland in a reversal of last year ’ s referendum , when the Scots voted to stay in the UK . The poll leaves no room for doubt where voters think Sturgeon ’ s heart lies . Nearly three in four say she cares more about Scottish independence than whether the UK economy is doing will . Fewer than one in eight disagree . The survey also contains more evidence of Cameron ’ s personal ratings lead over Miliband . By a margin of nearly two to one , the public believes Miliband ’ s claim that the Prime Minister was to blame for the deaths of nearly 1,000 migrants from Libya in the Mediterranean showed that the Labour leader was ‘ unfit to be PM ’ . The survey also indicates the Conservatives are winning the key economic arguments . Voters believe that if the Tories win the General Election on May 7 , the economy is more likely to grow over the next five years ; taxes and unemployment will be lower ; the country will be safer ; welfare abuse will be curbed and people will be generally better off . Labour won on two counts : better schools and hospitals and fewer food banks .
English voters have grave concerns over Nicola Sturgeon 's power plan . Half believe Ms Sturgeon will have the upper hand over Ukip . Ed Miliband has been gaining support from former Labour voters and not Tories . The poll shows SNP are more interested in independence that the economy . Survation interviewed 1,004 people online on Friday and Saturday .