Theresa May with President Emmanuel Macron of France. Perceptions of her handling of Brexit negotiations have improved slightly

The Conservatives will go into their conference in Birmingham with a 6-point lead over Labour, according to a YouGov poll for The Times.

A separate poll also suggests that the public is slowly warming to elements of Theresa May’s Chequers plan.

The poll taken on Monday and Tuesday puts the Tories on 42 per cent, up 2 points from the previous week, Labour on 36 and Lib Dems on 11, both unchanged, and Ukip on 4 which is down 1.

The poll suggests that 89 per cent of people who voted Tory in last year’s general election would do the same now, against 84 per cent of Labour voters who would repeat the move.

Another poll by YouGov, taken at the end of