‘Gap closing’ as Labour gains ground

Corbyn ‘making inroads’

Labour has closed the gap on Conservatives following the publication of party manifestos for the general election, according to a series of opinion polls.

As Jeremy Corbyn claimed his message was “getting through” to voters, four polls for the Sunday newspapers put Labour between 35% and 33%, up significantly on the scores as low as 26% it was recording early in the campaign.

The Tory advantage was narrowed to just nine points in one survey by YouGov, the first time it has been in single figures in a mainstream poll since Theresa May called the snap election on April 18.

Although the figures would deliver a comfortable Tory majority if repeated on June 8, they will bolster Labour insiders’ belief that Mr Corbyn’s campaign is making inroads into Theresa May’s support following her policies on social care for the elderly.

Crucially, a result on these lines would put Mr Corbyn comfortably above the 30.4% vote share achieved by Ed Miliband in 2015, which some supporters argue should be seen as a benchmark of whether he should stay on as leader.

One Labour insider characterised the mood in the Corbyn camp as “extremely positive”, after he attracted a crowd of thousands to a rally in Wirral West and heard his name chanted in approval by rock fans when he appeared on stage at a music festival at a football ground in Birkenhead.

The 35% support for Labour is the best rating for the party since March last year before the divisive EU referendum. The poll put Tories on 44%.

The survey, conducted after Thursday’s Tory manifesto launch, found 28% of voters said they were less likely to vote Conservative because of the social care package, branded a “dementia tax” by opponents.