Fresh blow for Theresa May as Tory activists doubt party can win general election

Conservative party members are increasingly sceptical that the next general election will result in a Tory-led government, a new survey has found.



According to the fresh poll for the ConservativeHome website, just 55% of members now think that the next election will result in either a Conservative majority, a Tory minority administration or a coalition led by the party.

The result marks a sharp, eighteen-point fall on the 73% recorded last month, and is the lowest total recorded by the site since it started polling Tory members in the wake of last year's general election.

Just over a quarter of members (27%) now think there will be a Conservative majority government next time the country heads to the polls, down from 45% in June.

A little over a fifth (21%) think there will be a minority Tory administration, up slightly from 19% in June, while 7% think the Conservatives will head up a coalition.

Almost half (45%) of the Tory members polled now think there will either be a Labour majority or minority government or a coalition led by the opposition after the next election.

The site spoke to 1,181 Tory members for the poll, which is the first study by ConservativeHome since Theresa May signed off her controversial Chequers Brexit deal with Cabinet ministers.

The deal, which Downing Street sees as the best way to avoid trade disruption and a hard border in Northern Ireland, has been savaged by Brexiteers who believe it keeps the UK too closely tied to the European Union.

It prompted the walkout of top Cabinet ministers David Davis and Boris Johnson, while a string of ministerial aides have also resigned in protest.

A separate Sky Data poll unveiled today meanwhile reveals that the Prime Minister's personal approval ratings have tumbled, with 74% now unhappy with her performance - a 14-point rise since the last study.