FORMER Downing Street spin doctor Alastair Campbell said the Labour Party have been "in denial" since the 2017 General Election during an appearance at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

His comments followed two new polls which suggested Labour's support is plummeting below the Tories.

READ MORE: Tories take 14-point lead over Labour in General Election poll

One poll by Kantar showed the Tories have a 14 point lead over Corbyn's party, while another from YouGov puts Labour in third or fourth place in every region besides the North. 

Speaking to James Graham, writer of Channel 4 drama Brexit: The Uncivil War, Campbell said the party is deluded to think its 2017 result was a triumph.

The National:

Campbell said: "The Labour Party has been in denial since the last election, by thinking that they did very, very, very well.

"One of Corbyn's people came up to me and used the phrase: 'One of the reasons we won in the last election...' and I said: 'Hang on a minute.'"

He added that Jeremy Corbyn's brand of left-wing politics was too narrow to appeal to the broader church of northern constituencies.

He said: "They want tough on crime. Strong in defence. It's not as simple as the caricature."

Campbell announced he would be leaving the Labour Party earlier this year, citing Corbyn's leadership and the party's approach to Brexit policy.