Only 45 per cent of 2015 Labour voters wanted Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister, according to a new poll

Fewer than half of Labour voters think Jeremy Corbyn would be the best prime minister, according to a new poll before the party’s latest by-election test.

Only 45 per cent want to see Mr Corbyn in No 10, research by Opinium found, with 14 per cent of the total electorate choosing him over Theresa May. Twenty-eight per cent said they wanted neither.

The Conservative lead over Labour, put as high as 17 points by other polling firms this year, dropped from 13 to 9 per cent. However, the Tories remained the most trusted party on all key issues besides the NHS, with 7 per cent most trusting Labour on immigration and 12 per cent supporting them on Brexit.

The findings, commissioned by The Observer,