Labour’s shadow foreign secretary could fall victim to a major SNP surge in Paisley and Renfrewshire South, according to the latest polls from Lord Ashcroft.

The Tory peer put Mr Alexander 11 points behind Mhairi Black in a poll released on Friday, on the same day that the 20-year-old Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate made the front page of the New York Times.

It was also the same day that Labour launched its election manifesto.

The poll shows Mr Alexander trailing Ms Black by 12 points, an increase compared to the results released by the pollster in February, which had Mr Alexander trailing by eight points. Labour’s campaign manager now faces losing his seat to a college student who has also been interviewed by CNN and Al Jazeera.

However, Mr Alexander remains defiant, despite admitting the polls are bad for his party.

He said: “The polls across Scotland are bad for Labour.

“Every one fewer Labour MP risks making the Tories the largest party and so getting back into Government.

“David Cameron knows he can’t win here in Renfrewshire. It is a Labour vote on Thursday, May 7 that can stop him walking backing into Downing Street on Friday, May 8.

“That would be a disaster for local families because the Tories plan even bigger spending cuts.

“Labour’s plan for Renfrewshire will help local families get ahead. We will ban exploitative zero hour contracts and raise the minimum wage to more than £8. We will guarantee every young person a job or training, paid for by a bankers’ bonus tax. And we will protect our NHS with more nurses for the RAH, paid for by a Mansion tax.

“The only way to stop the Tories and get a Labour government is to vote Labour. Only Labour can deliver the change we need.” Labour appears to be facing political oblivion on Scotland. Lord Ashcroft’s poll not only puts Douglas Alexander behind the SNP, but paints a bleak outlook for Labour in Scotland as a whole.

Edinburgh South, Edinburgh North and Leith and Glasgow South West are all predicted to fall into SNP hands.

This also includes Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy in East Renfrewshire — who despite leading in February’s polls by the slim margin of one point — now trails SNP candidate Kirsten Oswald by nine points.

Mr Murphy remains as defiant as Mr Alexander, while Kirsten Oswald says she is taking nothing for granted in light of the new polls — a claim echoed by Mhairi Black.

She said: “A fantastic poll showing that more and more disillusioned Labour voters are recognising that the SNP are the only party that are genuinely listening to people and looking to end the cuts that are harming so many lives that both the Conservatives and the Labour Party are planning.

“Whilst this is an encouraging poll, we take absolutely nothing for granted. Polls do not win elections; only strong arguments and hard work do that.

“Therefore, we will continue to do all we can to spread our message that a vote for the SNP is a vote for a fresh start.

“It is only with a strong group of SNP MP’s that we can put pressure on the Westminster establishment to pursue policies that put people first. Lend us your vote and get that genuine change — Vote SNP’ Black has been “inundated” with interview requests from the world’s news outlets, interest which she says has been generated by her battle with Mr Alexander.

She said: “I was surprised by the level of media interest, especially from across the world, in this campaign.” If elected, she would be one of the youngest MPs ever elected to the House of Commons.

Ms Black added: “This contest has clearly sparked an interest in the media, not just in the UK but across the world.

“I was expecting some local press and possibly some Scottish or UK interest in the campaign considering I am taking on one of Labour’s so called big hitters.

“However, I was initially surprised by the level of interest shown by the international media. So far I’ve been interviewed by CNN, the New York Times, El Pais, Le Monde, Al Jazeera and still more requests are coming through.

“This has given me an opportunity to spotlight Paisley and Renfrewshire South and why we need a fresh voice representing this area, one that will put will put the people of this constituency before their political career.” Pollsters say the battle for Paisley and Renfrewshire South is becoming a two horse race, with the Conservative candidate Fraser Galloway pulling in around six per cent of the vote and the Liberal Democrats’ Eileen McCartin with one per cent.