Theresa May had the backing of 41 per cent of voters

The Conservatives hold a two-point lead over Labour in the final survey of a year in which stable poll results have been in marked contrast to the turmoil at Westminster.

Theresa May’s party had the backing of 41 per cent of voters, with Labour on 39 per cent. The YouGov poll for The Times carried out on December 16 and 17 gives the Tories a slightly extended lead compared with a survey the week before that had the two main parties on 39 and 38 per cent respectively.

The Liberal Democrats meanwhile fell back from 9 to 7 points with Ukip down from 5 to 4 and the Greens from 4 to 3.

The findings are broadly in line with most recent surveys, which give