Labour holds poll lead as Sunak fails to ‘turn the dial’
LABOUR is 18 percentage points ahead of the Tories in a new opinion poll, with one pollster warning that nothing Rishi Sunak does seems to “change the dial”.
With the next general election at most nine months away – and likely to be sooner – Sir Keir Starmer’s party continues to hold a vast poll lead. The latest Telegraph-savanta survey has Labour on 43 per cent with the Tories on 25. The Liberal Democrats are on 10 per cent, with Reform UK on 9 per cent.
At the last general election in 2019, the Conservatives won 42 per cent of the vote but it is now six months since Savanta had the Tories above 30.
The continuing struggle to close the polling gap has contributed to disillusion on Tory benches in Parliament and frustration about the leadership and the party’s policy direction.
However, there was good news for Downing Street as the poll found Rishi Sunak’s phased cigarette sale ban is overwhelmingly popular. Some 59 per cent backed the policy, which was passed by MPS last night and effectively bans anyone now aged 15 or younger from ever buying cigarettes legally. Only 20 per cent opposed the move, despite some Tory MPS claiming the policy was “unconservative”.
Savanta’s result is broadly in line with other research companies.
Chris Hopkins, the political research director at Savanta, said: “Our latest voting intention shows the scale of the challenge facing Rishi Sunak ... nothing seems to change the dial.
“The Prime Minister has another potentially difficult week, which he hopes will be capped off by his Rwanda scheme passing through Parliament and inflation dropping once more. Whether that is enough to stave off a drubbing remains to be seen,” he added.
Labour’s 18-point lead is up from last week’s Telegraph-savanta result, which had the party 15 points ahead.
The general election must be held by January 2025 but it is widely expected in the autumn. Downing Street insiders have played up the idea that events in the coming months can improve Tory chances. Inflation is expected to drop below the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target this year, allowing Mr Sunak to claim credit.
Around 2,200 adults across the UK were asked for their views online by Savanta between April 12 and 14.
♦ Andy Street, the Tory West Midlands mayor, is 14 points behind his Labour rival just weeks before he faces re-election on May 2, the latest opinion poll has found.
The poll showed Mr Street at 28 per cent, compared to 42 per cent for Labour’s Richard Parker. Elaine Williams, the Reform UK candidate, was third on 13 per cent.
Mr Street and Ben Houchen, the Tory mayor for Tees Valley, will provide an early indication of Rishi Sunak’s chances of holding on to voters. It is thought losing one or both mayors will risk a significant backlash from Conservative backbench MPS.