YouGov: Conservatives 44% / Labour 23%

It's Labour's lowest share of the vote in any YouGov poll since 2009

Labour's dismal polling continues with crucial local elections on the horizon

LONDON — Theresa May's Conservatives lead Labour by a huge 21-points, according to a poll published just hours before the Prime Minister announced plans for a general election on June 8.

A YouGov survey published on Sunday night said that 44% of Brits intends to vote for the Tories at the next election, up 2% on the company's last poll. 23% of respondents said they plan to vote Labour. Labour would need a massive shift in public sentiment to win a June election, these polls suggest.

Here is how YouGov's latest survey broke down:

Conservatives: 44% (+2)

Labour: 23% (-2)

Liberal Democrats: 12% (+1)

UUKIP: 10% (-1)

Labour's share of the vote in this new poll is the lowest recorded by YouGov since 2009 and comes just days after a survey published by ComRes also found a 21% lead for the Conservatives among respondents.

To put these figures into perspective, the Labour Party under Ed Miliband enjoyed a 13% lead over the Tories in a YouGov poll published at this stage in the electoral cycle — but still went on to lose the subsequent general election.

The party under leader Jeremy Corbyn is currently heading for a thumping defeat at the next election unless a massive swing in voting intention takes place between now and voting day, which is set to be in 2020.

Labour's dismal polling continues despite polls showing that the public is widely supportive of policies launched by Corbyn during the parliamentary recess.

As this table produced by Comres illustrates, Corbyn's pledges to raise the national minimum wage, increase income tax for high earners, and fund free school meals for primary children by adding VAT to private school fees are all backed the general public.

Yet, despite this, Corbyn's Labour continues to lack appeal as a potential future government. Labour MP Neil Coyle described YouGov's findings as proof of "a catastrophic failure to expose the shortcomings of this government."

The first real test of the party's popularity will come on May 4 when local elections will take place across the country.

Pollster Lord Hayward expects Labour to lose up to 120 council seats while Corbyn faces further humiliation if the party concedes the West Midlands mayoral office to the Conservatives in next month's vote.