Tories rack up highest poll lead since financial crisis despite Brexit chaos

The Tories have posted their highest lead over Labour for seven years, according to new research.

The government are also leading in every social group, including those least well off, and amongst all age groups apart from 18-24-year-olds.

The Conservative score of 44 per cent in the Guardian/ICM poll is their best since October 2009, and only one point shy of their all time high in surveys carried out for the two companies.

Theresa May’s government are up two points from ICM polling earlier this month, with Labour on just 28 per cent.

On economic confidence, more voters think of their own financial situation and the economy more broadly positively than those who don’t – with 53 per cent expressing confidence to 43 per cent feeling a lack of it. The net confidence, of +10 is a significant drop from August when it was +34.

On living standards, slightly more people think that their standard of living has improved than has worsened – with 31 per cent saying it has improved, 34 per cent no change and 29 per cent thinking they’ve got worse. This comes despite the Institute for Fiscal Studies predicting reduced living standards caused by no real terms increases in wages by 2021 amounting to the biggest squeeze on wages for 70 years.

This polling, carried out after Philip Hammond’s Autumn Statement, mirrors the pattern of other recent polling, with the Tories holding a 13 point lead in YouGov polling last week.

To see the full results click here.