Labour and Tories neck and neck after string of U-turns

BOrIS Johnson saw his poll lead vanish at the weekend after a procession of U-turns sapped his Government’s credibility.

The survey by Opinium put the Conservatives and Labour neck and neck on 40 per cent.

It is the first time the Tories have not been in the lead in this poll since July last year, the month Mr Johnson took over as Prime Minister.

At the start of the Covid crisis in March – when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader – the Tories were 26 points ahead.

But a succession of Government reversals has allowed Sir Keir Starmer to gain the initiative.

The damaging survey will darken the mood on the Tory benches when Parliament returns tomorrow.

The handling of the coronavirus crisis, especially the exam results fiasco, has provoked public concern from Conservative MPs.

And a U-turn over whether secondary school pupils should wear masks also caused disquiet among some backbenchers. Sir Charles Walker, vice-chairman of the 1922 committee of Conservative backbenchers, said it was becoming increasingly difficult for MPs to defend Government action as policies can be abandoned quickly by ministers.

Sir Charles, usually a loyalist to the Prime Minister, told the Observer: ‘Too often it looks like this Government licks its finger and sticks it in the air to see which way the wind is blowing. Whether this approach is by design or by accident, the climate of uncertainty it creates is unsustainable and erodes morale.’

The Opinium poll found that nearly half of voters, 47 per cent, disapprove of the Government’s handling of coronavirus, compared to less than a third, 31 per cent, who approve.

There was bad news for Education Secretary Gavin Williamson as 48 per cent disapprove of the way he is handling his job, the survey of 2,002 adults between August 26-28 found.