SIR Keir Starmer’s Labour Party are now nearly 20 points behind the Conservatives in the latest Westminster voting intention poll.
YouGov’s newest survey, carried out between May 19-20 among 1699 adults in the UK, put the Tories on 46%, up one point, and Labour on 28%, down two points from May 11-12. It means Boris Johnson’s party is now 18 points ahead of their opposition.
It continues a trend of decline in polls for Labour. Last week a poll by Find Out Now, carried out among 14,000 voters after the recent elections, predicted the Tories would secure a 122-seat landslide majority – up from their current 81 – at a General Election.
Our latest Westminster voting intention has the Conservatives leading by 18 points:
— YouGov (@YouGov) May 22, 2021
Con: 46% (+1 from 11-12 May)
Lab: 28% (-2)
Lib Dem: 8% (+1)
Green: 8% (n/c)
SNP: 5% (n/c)
Reform UK: 2% (n/c)https://t.co/FzsJEF0ro4 pic.twitter.com/Hki2AM0ime
Meanwhile support for the LibDems is at 8%, up one point, support for the SNP is at 5%, Plaid Cymru are at 1%, Reform UK are at 2%, and the Greens are at 8%, all marking no change.
The levels of Tory support are now at their highest level since May 6 2020.
Johnson has also increased his lead among people responding to the question of who would make a better prime minister.
Some 40% say the Tory leader would make the best PM, while just 24% back Keir Starmer and a third are undecided.
It comes after local elections in England saw a rough outcome for Starmer’s party. Labour lost control of its former Durham heartland, losing 15 seats on the county council while the Tories took 14.
There were similar scenes across northern England. Overall Labour lost 267 councillors while the Tories gained 294. The Greens also secured 85 new councillors.
In the Hartlepool by-election the Tories took the traditionally Labour seat by a large margin, with Conservative Jill Mortimer securing 51.9% on a swing of nearly 16%.
READ MORE: SNP would win 58 of 59 Scottish seats in a snap General Election, poll finds
The pressure is now on Starmer as he faces a fresh by-election in Batley and Spen.
Writing in The Guardian, Diane Abbott said: “If Labour loses again, it must surely be curtains for him. And then it may be that Andy Burnham’s time will have come.”
The Greater Manchester mayor was recently re-elected with 67.3% of voters backing him. He is now the bookies’ favourite to be the next Labour leader though he is not in the Commons.
After his win, Burnham said his success sent “a clear message to all Westminster parties... telling you to deliver more devolution".
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