The Tories are facing a catastrophic nosedive in support in a seat in the north-east of England they sensationally gained from Labour in a 2021 by-election, a new poll suggests.
A survey conducted by WeThink for The Economist showed a plunge in Conservative support in Hartlepool – where the Tories are now polling in third place.
Labour would now win the seat back with 58% of the vote according the the poll, with Reform UK in second place at 23%.
Despite gaining the seat just three years ago with more than 50% of votes cast, the Conservatives are forecast to get just 10% in the WeThink survey.
READ MORE: Tories resort to warning a big Labour win means ‘dangerous’, ‘unchecked’ power
The poll only included 448 respondents, but it is likely to further panic an already beleaguered Tory general election campaign, with current polls suggesting Rishi Sunak’s party faces a near-apocalyptic defeat.
Hartlepool, which was represented by Labour’s Peter Mandelson during the Blair years, has had Conservative Jill Mortimer as its MP since the 2021 by-election.
Our first constituency poll, from Hartlepool, has the Conservatives on 10%, down from >50% when they won the seat in 2021: https://t.co/EmfBKtE32t pic.twitter.com/HdsyMN20UZ
— Tom Sasse (@tom_sasse) June 11, 2024
The Tory win there three years ago was hailed at the time as a further breakthrough for the Conservatives in traditional Labour heartlands following the collapse of the ‘Red Wall’ in 2019.
It was also a key target for the Brexit Party – now rebranded as Reform UK – in the 2019 general election, where Richard Tice came a close third behind Labour and the Conservatives.
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