Published: 12:43 PM May 2, 2019 Updated: 8:43 AM September 18, 2020

Nigel Farage's Brexit Party has opened up a nine-point lead ahead of elections to the European Parliament, according to a new poll.

The YouGov survey for the Times put Farage's party on 30% - up two points since last week - to Labour's 21% (down one) and the Conservatives' 13% (unchanged).

The Liberal Democrats are up three points on 10%, while Greens and Change UK each drop a point to 9%.

UKIP was trailing on 4% - down one point on the previous week - in the poll of voting intentions for the May 23 European elections.

It will worry Theresa May as more than half (52%) of those who voted Conservative in the 2017 general election said they would back the Brexit Party in the European elections.

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Farage's party, launched less than a month ago, was backed by 48% of over-65s taking part in the poll, 60% of those who backed Leave in the 2016 referendum and 31% of those who described themselves as Conservative supporters.

It has no manifesto and Nigel Farage has so far refused to reveal his big party backer.

Those questioned by YouGov named Brexit as the most important issue facing the UK in the run-up to the European elections, with more than twice as many voters mentioning it as health, crime or the economy.