Boost for Jeremy Corbyn as Labour increase poll lead over Tories to five points
3 min read
Labour's poll lead over the Conservatives has risen to its biggest margin since the party went ahead just after the election.
Jeremy Corbyn’s party would scoop up 43% of the vote if a fresh election were held, ahead of the Conservatives on 38% - a lead that would see Mr Corbyn become Prime Minister by a slender margin.
The Survation poll for the Mail on Sunday marks a remarkable turnaround since April, when the Tories were enjoying leads of up to 24 points over Labour.
The study also found that the Labour leader’s decision to back staying in the single market and customs union in a transitional period after Britain leaves the EU is supported by 42% of voters, with 28% against.
Meanwhile public confidence in Mrs May’s negotiating stance appears to be waning, with 46% saying the Prime Minister is bluffing when she says she would walk away from talks with “no deal”, while just 18% believe her.
The poll added that a narrow majority of Tory voters back Theresa May leading the party into the next election, at 54%, while 11% want her to stand down this year and 26% say she should do so after Brexit in 2019.
The study, which was carried out after Theresa May’s pledge to stay on as Tory leader into the next election, also found Boris Johnson remains the public’s favourite to take over – although “don’t know” was selected by 57% of voters.
Around four in ten Tory voters say it is unthinkable that May will lead the Tories at the next Election; one in three believe it is possible.
The Foreign Secretary is backed by 19% of the public to succeed Mrs May as the party’s leader, while backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg follows him on 9%, just ahead of Philip Hammond on 8%.
Brexit Secretary David Davis follows on 6%, while Amber Rudd is on 5% and Michael Gove on just 2%.
27% of Conservatives say replacing Mrs May would improve their chances of winning the next Election; compared with 19% who think it would make it less likely.
Meanwhile a separate YouGov survey for The Sunday Times found seven out of 10 voters as a whole - and four out of 10 Tories - disagreed with the Prime Minister's argument that she should fight the next election.
The poll found 30% of voters wanted her to fight on; 48% wanted her to stand down before 2022 and, of those, 23% wanted her to go now.
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