Poll puts Labour ahead on voting intention, the economy and leadership

A poll has placed Keir Starmer ahead of Boris Johnson on leadership and found that Labour leads the Conservatives in terms of which party the public would back in a general election and who would better manage the economy.

Research, commissioned by The Mirror and published on Sunday, found that 42% of people would back Labour to run the nation’s finances compared to 36% who support who would prefer the Prime Minister and Rishi Sunak for the job.

Respondents to the survey gave the Labour leader a net approval rating of +4 and Johnson -4. The poll gave Labour a ten-point lead over the Tories. 42% said they would back Labour – one point up on research last month.

Carrying out the poll for the paper, Deltapoll also found that the Labour Party has a better reputation for economic competence than the Conservatives in seats that the Tories took from Labour at the 2019 general election.

The research today followed a poll earlier this month that found Labour is set to regain all but three of the 45 so-called ‘Red Wall’ constituencies lost in 2019 and showed that support for the Tories in the previously safe Labour seats is now at its lowest since the political tracker series began in November 2020.

JL Partners found that Labour had an 11-point lead in the crucial seats after polling two points behind the Conservatives last month. 48% of voters in those areas backed Labour, up five points, compared to 37% for the Tories, down eight.

Both pieces of research come amid the ongoing turmoil sparked by numerous allegations that several Covid rule-breaking social gatherings were held in Downing Street and other Whitehall buildings at the height of the pandemic.

The Prime Minister was forced to apologise to parliament after it emerged that he attended a garden party in May 2020 in contravention of strict Covid lockdown rules in place at the time. Labour has called on Johnson to resign.

Sue Gray has carried out an inquiry into the allegations, but was asked by the Metropolitan Police Service to make “minimal reference” to incidents it is looking into after the police launched their own investigation. Gray’s report was sent to Downing Street this morning and a statement from Johnson is expected.