ICM poll: Tories 44 / Labour 28

Labour's woes continue

Britain's right-wing parties are crushing the left

A new opinion poll published by ICM puts Theresa May's ruling Conservative Party a massive 16-points ahead of Labour as Jeremy Corbyn's struggle to reverse public opinion continues.

The survey found that 44% of respondents intend to vote for the Tories at the next election, while just 28% plan to back the opposition. Labour under Ed Miliband led the Tories by three points at this point in the last electoral cycle, according to a YouGov poll published on November 29, 2011, meaning the party is down by net 19 points.

As Business Insider's voter intention tracker chart illustrates, May's Conservatives have enjoyed a honeymoon period since mid-summer, despite dithering over Brexit and plans for divisive policies like the reintroduction of selective education.

It illustrates how unlikely a progressive block of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and Green Party MPs is to succeed. The idea has been thrown around by the Greens and supported by numerous commentators. It would involve the parties of the British "left" coming together to try and defeat Theresa May at the 2020 election.

However, this ICM survey indicates that combined public support for the "progressive" parties comes to just 39% while support for the British right-wing — the Conservatives and UKIP — is polling at 56%.

Conservative support alone (44%) is larger than public backing for a progressive alliance of parties. It's not just Labour that is staring a crisis in the face — but the British left-wing in general. This is true for many left-wing parties across Europe, as right-wing populism threatens political establishments in countries like France and Holland.