Polls give varying Tory leads from 25 to 11 points over Labour

A series of polls published this weekend showed heavy leads for the Tories – although one survey indicated Labour is closing the gap.

The most eye-catching survey handed the Conservatives a 25 point lead but there were slight signs of hope for Labour supporters from another which indicated a government lead of 11 per cent.

One poll gives the Conservatives an historic 50 per cent support, on Westminster voting intention – their highest in any poll since 1991. It is the first time any party has had backing of half the country since Labour in April 2002.

Labour could expect 25 per cent support, the Liberal Democrats 11 per cent and UKIP just seven per cent support, suggests the ComRes poll for the Sunday Mirror.

In the poll, most of the public agree with Theresa May’s decision to call a snap general election, with 55 per cent agreeing and 21 per cent disagreeing. Just under a quarter – 24 per cent – don’t know.

Six in ten Britons believe that Labour cannot win a general election with Jeremy Corbyn as leader, with 18 per cent disagreeing with this.

Members of the public are split on whether Theresa May has the best interests of people like them at heart, with 38 per cent thinking that she does, and 40 per cent thinking she doesn’t. Some 22 per cent are unsure.

Andrew Hawkins, ComRes chair, said: “While no political party could ever object to breaching the 50 per cent barrier for the first time this century, this spectacular headline result masks a real danger for the Tories.”

“The fact that six in ten voters believe Labour cannot win under Corbyn’s leadership bring with it the threat of complacency among Tory voters who may be tempted to sit at home on June 8 and let others deliver the result they expect. That is a nice problem for a party to have, but it is nonetheless a particular challenge in an election which may well be marked by low turnout and thus bring about some unpredictable and possibly surprising individual constituency results.”

In a Survation poll, the Tory lead is slimmer, at 11 points. In their poll, the Conservative government could expect 40 per cent support, Labour 29 per cent with the Lib Dems and UKIP tied at 11 per cent.